System and method for a development environment for building services for a platform instance

ABSTRACT

An improved system and method are disclosed for creating a configuration for a platform instance using a development environment that has a graphical user interface (GUI). The method includes creating a service to be run by the platform instance and providing a graphical representation of a block library containing available blocks that are available for use by the service. Input is received via the GUI identifying at least some of the available blocks as selected blocks, where the selected blocks are to be run by the service. Input is received via the GUI arranging the selected blocks into an order of execution. The development environment generates and stores at least one configuration file containing the order of execution for use by the platform instance.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY AND CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/141,107, filed Mar. 31, 2015, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT FOR BUILDING SERVICES FOR A PLATFORM INSTANCE,and is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/885,629, filed on Oct. 16, 2015, which is a Continuation ofInternational PCT Application No. PCT/IB15/01288, filed on May 21, 2015,entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FULLY CONFIGURABLE REAL TIME PROCESSING.PCT Application No. PCT/IB15/01288 claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/001,457, filed on May 21, 2014, entitledSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASYNCHRONOUSLY CAPTURING. PROCESSING, ANDPUBLISHING DATA STREAMS IN REAL TIME, U.S. Provisional Application No.62/028,145, filed on Jul. 23, 2014, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FULLYCONFIGURABLE ASYNCHRONOUS REAL TIME PROCESSING, U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/041,566, filed on Aug. 25, 2014, entitled SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR AGGREGATING AND PUBLISHING DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES IN REALTIME OR NEAR REAL TIME, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/137,007,filed on Mar. 23, 2015, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURINGSERVICES AND BLOCKS IN A PLATFORM INSTANCE. International PCTApplication No. PCT/IB15/01288, U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/885,629, and U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 62/001,457,62/028,145, 62/041,566 and 62/137,007 are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The proliferation of devices has resulted in the production of atremendous amount of data that is continuously increasing. Currentprocessing methods are unsuitable for processing this data. Accordingly,what is needed are systems and methods that address this issue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingDrawings in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of a neutral input/output (NIO)platform with customizable and configurable processing functionality andconfigurable support functionality;

FIG. 1B illustrates one embodiment of a data path that may exist withina NIO platform instance based on the NIO platform of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate embodiments of the NIO platform of FIG. 1A aspart of a stack:

FIGS. 1E-1I illustrate embodiments of environments in which the NIOplatform of FIG. 1A may be deployed;

FIGS. 1J-1L illustrate embodiments of systems on which the NIO platformof FIG. 1A may be run;

FIG. 2A illustrates a more detailed embodiment of the NIO platform ofFIG. 1A;

FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate embodiments of hierarchical arrangements thatmay exist within NIO platform instances;

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a service that may exist within aNIO platform instance;

FIG. 4A illustrates another embodiment of the NIO platform of FIG. 2A:

FIG. 4B illustrates one embodiment of a NIO platform instance based onthe NIO platform of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C illustrates one embodiment of a diagram showing the operation ofa core process and multiple services of the NIO platform instance ofFIG. 4B plotted against time;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate various embodiments of the service of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5D and 5E illustrate embodiments of how blocks within the serviceof FIG. 3 are decoupled from the service and other blocks within theservice;

FIG. 5F illustrates an embodiment of the service of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5G illustrates an embodiment of multiple block threadscorresponding to blocks within the service of FIG. 5F;

FIG. 6A illustrates one embodiment of a method that may be used with theNIO platform of FIGS. 1A, 2A, and 4A;

FIGS. 6B-8 illustrate more detailed embodiments of various steps of FIG.6A;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate another embodiment of the NIO platform ofFIG. 2A from a platform perspective and a stack perspective,respectively;

FIG. 9C illustrates one embodiment of a hierarchy that may exist withinthe NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 9D illustrates one embodiment of a service that may exist withinthe NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of communications that may occurwithin the NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate embodiments of a messaging module that maybe used in the NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of the interaction between variouscomponents within the NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of interactions among variouscomponents of the NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B when an instance islaunched;

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate embodiments of methods that may be usedduring the interactions of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrate embodiments of methods that may be used by aservice of the NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 16E illustrates one embodiment of a method that may be used by ablock within the NIO platform of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 17 illustrates one embodiment of an environment showing a user'sperspective of the NIO platform 900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIG. 18 illustrates one embodiment of a workflow that may be used tocreate and configure a NIO platform;

FIG. 19A illustrates one embodiment of a service configurationenvironment within which a service is configured at runtime;

FIG. 19B illustrates one embodiment of a block configuration environmentwithin which a block is configured at runtime;

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate embodiments of block classes that may beused within the block configuration environment of FIG. 19B;

FIG. 21 illustrates one embodiment of an environment within whichconfiguration information is used to configure two blocks based on thesame block class in different ways:

FIG. 22 illustrates one embodiment of an environment within whichconfiguration information is used to configure two services based on thesame service class in different ways;

FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment of an environment with a base blockclass and multiple blocks based on the base block class;

FIG. 24 illustrates one embodiment of a service built using blocks fromthe environment of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 illustrates another embodiment of a service built using blocksfrom the environment of FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 illustrates an embodiment of an environment in which a NIOplatform running the services of FIGS. 24 and 25 is coupled to externalsources and/or destinations;

FIG. 27A illustrates one embodiment of a method that may be executed bythe NIO platform of FIG. 26 to create and configure a block;

FIG. 27B illustrates one embodiment of a method that may be executed bythe NIO platform of FIG. 26 to create and configure a service;

FIGS. 28A-28C illustrate embodiments of a development environment withinwhich configuration of the NIO platform of FIG. 18 may occur;

FIGS. 29-40 illustrate embodiments of a graphical user interface (GUI)that may be provided by the development environment of FIGS. 28A-28C;and

FIGS. 41-45 illustrate embodiments of methods that maybe executed withinthe development environment of FIGS. 28A-28C. FIG. 2 illustrates

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for adevelopment environment for creating services for a neutral input/outputplatform instance. It is understood that the following disclosureprovides many different embodiments or examples. Specific examples ofcomponents and arrangements are described below to simplify the presentdisclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intendedto be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat referencenumerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is forthe purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate arelationship between the various embodiments and/or configurationsdiscussed.

The present disclosure describes various embodiments of a neutralinput/output (NIO) platform that includes a core that supports one ormore services. While the platform itself may technically be viewed as anexecutable application in some embodiments, the core may be thought ofas an application engine that runs task specific applications calledservices. The services are constructed using defined templates that arerecognized by the core, although the templates can be customized to acertain extent. The core is designed to manage and support the services,and the services in turn manage blocks that provide processingfunctionality to their respective service. Due to the structure andflexibility of the runtime environment provided by the NIO platform'score, services, and blocks, the platform is able to asynchronouslyprocess any input signal from one or more sources in real time.

Referring to FIG. 1A, one embodiment of a NIO platform 100 isillustrated. The NIO platform 100 is configurable to receive any type ofsignal (including data) as input, process those signals, and produce anytype of output. The NIO platform 100 is able to support this process ofreceiving, processing, and producing in real time or near real time. Theinput signals can be streaming or any other type of continuous ornon-continuous input.

When referring to the NIO platform 100 as performing processing in realtime and near real time, it means that there is no storage other thanpossible queuing between the NIO platform instance's input and output.In other words, only processing time exists between the NIO platforminstance's input and output as there is no storage read and write time,even for streaming data entering the NIO platform 100.

It is noted that this means there is no way to recover an originalsignal that has entered the NIO platform 100 and been processed unlessthe original signal is part of the output or the NIO platform 100 hasbeen configured to save the original signal. The original signal isreceived by the NIO platform 100, processed (which may involve changingand/or destroying the original signal), and output is generated. Thereceipt, processing, and generation of output occurs without any storageother than possible queuing. The original signal is not stored anddeleted, it is simply never stored. The original signal generallybecomes irrelevant as it is the output based on the original signal thatis important, although the output may contain some or all of theoriginal signal. The original signal may be available elsewhere (e.g.,at the original signal's source), but it may not be recoverable from theNIO platform 100.

It is understood that the NIO platform 100 can be configured to storethe original signal at receipt or during processing, but that isseparate from the NIO platform's ability to perform real time and nearreal time processing. For example, although no long term (e.g., longerthan any necessary buffering) memory storage is needed by the NIOplatform 100 during real time and near real time processing, storage toand retrieval from memory (e.g., a hard drive, a removable memory,and/or a remote memory) is supported if required for particularapplications.

The internal operation of the NIO platform 100 uses a NIO data object(referred to herein as a niogram). Incoming signals 102 are convertedinto niograms at the edge of the NIO platform 100 and used inintra-platform communications and processing. This allows the NIOplatform 100 to handle any type of input signal without needing changesto the platform's core functionality. In embodiments where multiple NIOplatforms are deployed, niograms may be used in inter-platformcommunications.

The use of niograms allows the core functionality of the NIO platform100 to operate in a standardized manner regardless of the specific typeof information contained in the niograms. From a general systemperspective, the same core operations are executed in the same wayregardless of the input data type. This means that the NIO platform 100can be optimized for the niogram, which may itself be optimized for aparticular type of input for a specific application.

The basic structure of a niogram is designed to allow the informationwithin the niogram to change as it moves through the NIO platform 100.For example, different types of information can be added to or removedfrom a niogram (e.g., a niogram containing a radio frequency identifier(RFID) value from an RFID tag can be modified to include an expirationdate of a corresponding product from which the tag was read).Furthermore, multiple niograms can be merged into a single niogram and asingle niogram can be divided into multiple niograms. The NIO platform100 can also create and destroy niograms as needed. The ability tocreate niograms, destroy niograms, and change the internal informationof a niogram enables information to be enriched contextually in manydifferent ways by the NIO platform 100 without changing the niogram'sbasic structure and this enrichment can occur in real time or near realtime.

The NIO platform 100 is designed to process niograms in a customizableand configurable manner using processing functionality 106 and supportfunctionality 108. The processing functionality 106 is generally bothcustomizable and configurable by a user. Customizable means that atleast a portion of the source code providing the processingfunctionality 106 can be modified by a user. In other words, the taskspecific software instructions that determine how an input signal thathas been converted into one or more niograms will be processed can bedirectly accessed at the code level and modified. Configurable meansthat the processing functionality 106 can be modified by such actions asselecting or deselecting functionality and/or defining values forconfiguration parameters. These modifications do not require directaccess or changes to the underlying source code and may be performed atdifferent times (e.g., before runtime or at runtime) using configurationfiles, commands issued through an interface, and/or in other definedways.

The support functionality 108 is generally only configurable by a user,with modifications limited to such actions as selecting or deselectingfunctionality and/or defining values for configuration parameters. Inother embodiments, the support functionality 108 may also becustomizable. It is understood that the ability to modify the processingfunctionality 106 and/or the support functionality 108 may be limited ornon-existent in some embodiments.

The support functionality 108 supports the processing functionality 106by handling general configuration of the NIO platform 100 at runtime andproviding management functions for starting and stopping the processingfunctionality. The resulting niograms can be converted into any signaltype(s) for output(s) 104.

Referring to FIG. 1B, one embodiment of a NIO platform instance 101illustrates a data path that starts when the input signal(s) 102 arereceived and continues through the generation of the output(s) 104. TheNIO platform instance 101 is created when the NIO platform 100 of FIG.1A is launched. A NIO platform may be referred to herein as a “NIOplatform” before being launched and as a “NIO platform instance” afterbeing launched, although the terms may be used interchangeably for theNIO platform after launch. As described above, niograms are usedinternally by the NIO platform instance 101 along the data path.

In the present example, the input signal(s) 102 may be filtered in block110 to remove noise, which can include irrelevant data, undesirablecharacteristics in a signal (e.g., ambient noise or interference),and/or any other unwanted part of an input signal. Filtered noise may bediscarded at the edge of the NIO platform instance 101 (as indicated byarrow 112) and not introduced into the more complex processingfunctionality of the NIO platform instance 101. The filtering may alsobe used to discard some of the signal's information while keeping otherinformation from the signal. The filtering saves processing time becausecore functionality of the NIO platform instance 101 can be focused onrelevant data having a known structure for post-filtering processing. Inembodiments where the entire input signal is processed, such filteringmay not occur. In addition to or as alternative to filtering occurringat the edge, filtering may occur inside the NIO platform instance 101after the signal is converted to a niogram.

Non-discarded signals and/or the remaining signal information areconverted into niograms for internal use in block 114 and the niogramsare processed in block 116. The niograms may be converted into one ormore other formats for the output(s) 104 in block 118, including actions(e.g., actuation signals). In embodiments where niograms are the output,the conversion step of block 118 would not occur.

Referring to FIG. 1C, one embodiment of a stack 120 is illustrated. Inthe present example, the NIO platform 100 interacts with an operatingsystem (OS) 122 that in turn interacts with a device 124. Theinteraction may be direct or may be through one or more other layers,such as an interpreter or a virtual machine. The device 124 can be avirtual device or a physical device, and may be standalone or coupled toa network.

Referring to FIG. 1D, another embodiment of a stack 126 is illustrated.In the present example, the NIO platform 100 interacts with a higherlayer of software 128 a and/or a lower layer of software 128 b. In otherwords, the NIO platform 100 may provide part of the functionality of thestack 126, while the software layers 128 a and/or 128 b provide otherparts of the stack's functionality. Although not shown, it is understoodthat the OS 122 and device 124 of FIG. 1C may be positioned under thesoftware layer 128 b if the software 128 b is present or directly underthe NIO platform 100 (as in FIG. 1C) if the software layer 128 b is notpresent.

Referring to FIG. 1E, in one embodiment, an environment 130 isillustrated with the NIO platform 100 of FIG. 1A. As illustrated, theNIO platform 100 supports instance to instance or device and system,which enables a NIO platform 100 to subscribe from and publish to one ormore other platforms broadly or specifically to a single applicationlogic/context requirement. The NIO platform 100 provides functionalityneeded to receive, process, and/or act on any input signal received fromone or more external sources 132 (as represented by arrow 102) and/orfrom the NIO platform 100 itself (as represented by arrow 134). Once theinput signal is handled as defined by the configuration of the NIOplatform 100, the input signal and/or other signals that may result fromprocessing may be output to one or more external destinations 132 (asrepresented by arrow 104) and/or to the NIO platform 100 itself (asrepresented by arrow 134).

In the present embodiment, the input signals are not stored except forqueuing (if needed), and no database or other permanent storagemechanism need be used for information handled by the NIO platform 100.Queuing may be handled in a variety of ways, including the use ofmemory/random access memory (RAM) and/or other mechanisms such as apersistence layer (e.g., an SQLite persistence layer). As the receivedinput signals are handled in real time or near real time and the NIOplatform 100 is not constrained by database access limitations,throughput can occur at a much higher rate than can be achieved insystems that rely on database access or that require storing data priorto processing.

In some embodiments, the NIO platform 100 allocates and de-allocatesfunctionality as needed, thereby minimizing the platform's footprint.

The NIO platform 100 provides its functionality via a genericarchitecture that may be configured to address specific needs. Althoughthe architecture may be implemented as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) or as another application specific embodiment,the architecture itself is configurable and, accordingly, highlyflexible. Furthermore, the architecture is able to process signals inone platform instance and then pass the processed signals back to itselffor further processing in the same or another platform instance. Thisability to internally link to itself enables the architecture to takeadvantage of multiple concurrently executing related platform instances.With each platform instance being fully configurable, the architectureis able to rapidly process large amounts of information while alsoproviding highly customizable outputs.

The NIO platform 100 may be implemented in a manner that is relativelyOS independent. For example, the NIO platform 100 may be implementedusing a language such as Python. To provide additional OS neutrality,design decisions may include avoiding the use of library calls that areOS specific and/or may avoid the inclusion of modules that are OSspecific.

The NIO platform 100 may provide self-awareness functional capabilitythrough services configured to support platform instances, advanceddynamic context artificial intelligence, and/or system monitoring. Withrespect to instances, pre-configured services may be based on specificindices relating to signal type and source, level of awareness function,and actions. The services may be utilized for device and/or systemdiagnostics and quality control. With respect to advanced dynamiccontext artificial intelligence, custom developed composite contextwithin a process resident within the NIO platform 100 may be specific toa use case, business process, system of devices or signal producers, ora single device specification.

With respect to system monitoring, the NIO platform 100 may be used tomonitor the state or condition of itself (i.e., the NIO platform 100) asa self-aware system. To accomplish this monitoring, niograms may begenerated that correspond to the current state of the NIO platform 100.Details contained in such niograms may range from the amount of centralprocessing unit (CPU) usage of the NIO platform 100 to an errorgenerated from one aspect of the NIO platform 100. These niograms canthen be processed by services and combined with internal actions tocreate a self-aware and proactive system monitoring solution.Additionally, a separate instance of the NIO platform 100 can be set upto apply this system monitoring logic and the niograms from the internalmonitoring service can be sent there.

The NIO platform 100 may be stored and executed on the device 124. TheNIO platform 100 may be an application residing on the device 124 and/ormay be embedded in the device 124. Examples of the device 124 includesingle-board computing (SBC) and onboard computing (OBC) platforms,cellular telephones (including smart phones), personal digitalassistants (PDAs), netbooks, tablets, laptops, desktops, workstations,servers, equipment (e.g., manufacturing equipment, monitoring equipment,and security equipment), home appliances (e.g., refrigerators, stoves,ovens, coffee makers, stereos, and televisions), vehicles and othermobile systems (e.g., air, land, sea, and/or space vehicles, whethermanned or autonomous), and any other device that is able to executeinstructions and support some or all of the architecture of the NIOplatform 100.

Communications to and from the NIO platform 100 may be direct (e.g., viaa peer-to-peer network, an ad hoc network, or using a directconnection), indirect, such as through a server or other proxy (e.g., ina client-server model or a wireless network), or may use a combinationof direct and indirect communications.

Referring to FIG. 1F, one embodiment of an environment 140 isillustrated where the functionality provided by the NIO platform 100 isdistributed as represented by NIO platforms 100 a and 100 b on devices124 a and 124 b, respectively. Although only two NIO platforms 100 a and100 b are shown, it is understood that the functionality may bedistributed across many devices. The distributed NIO platforms 100 a and100 b may communicate with one another (as represented by arrows 142 and144). Each distributed NIO platform 100 a and 100 b may communicate withthe external source/destination 132, only a particular one of the NIOplatforms 100 a and 100 b may be configured for communication with theexternal source/destination 132, or one NIO platform 100 a or 100 b maybe configured to receive communications from the external source 132,while the other of the NIO platforms may be configured to sendcommunications to the external destination 132.

In another embodiment of FIG. 1F, each NIO platform 100 a and 100 b maybe a complete platform with full functionality, and may be configured tocommunicate with one another and/or with the external source/destination132 in order to accomplish designated tasks. In such embodiments, oneNIO platform 100 a or 100 b may be offline unless needed (e.g., if theother platform fails or becomes overloaded). In other embodiments,although each NIO platform 100 a and 100 b provides full functionality,some functionality on one or both platforms may not be used. Thisenables the same NIO platform to be used on multiple devices while stillallocating particular functionality to one or more specific devices.

Referring to FIG. 1G, one embodiment of an environment 150 isillustrated where some or all of the functionality provided by the NIOplatform 100 is provided by one or more storage and/or processingsystems 152 that provides services from one or more remote locations,such as is provided by cloud computing. It is understood that thestorage and/or processing systems 152 may have distributed control, withfunctionality provided by different entities and combined within the NIOplatform 100. It is further understood that the system(s) 152 may beformed by multiple networked devices 124.

Referring to FIG. 1H, one embodiment of an environment 160 isillustrated where some or all of the functionality provided by the NIOplatform 100 is used only within the device 124. In the presentembodiment, the device 124 does not communicate with externalsource/destinations 132 unless needed for purposes such as installation,maintenance, and/or configuration.

Referring to FIG. 1I, one embodiment of an environment 165 isillustrated where multiple NIO platforms 100 a and 100 b are running ona single device 124. Although only two NIO platforms 100 a and 100 b areshown, it is understood that many instances of the NIO platform 100 maybe deployed on a single device. The NIO platforms 100 a and 100 b maycommunicate with one another (as represented by arrows 142 and 144).Each distributed NIO platform 100 a and 100 b may communicate with theexternal source/destination 132, only a particular one of the NIOplatforms 100 a and 100 b may be configured for communication with theexternal source/destination 132, or one NIO platform 100 a or 100 b maybe configured to receive communications from the external source 132,while the other of the NIO platforms may be configured to sendcommunications to the external destination 132.

It is understood that the environments of FIGS. 1E-1I may be combined invarious ways. For example, the functionality of the NIO platform 100 maybe distributed between the device 124 a of FIG. 1F and the cloud 152 ofFIG. 1G.

Referring to FIG. 1J, one embodiment of a system 170 is illustrated. Thesystem 170 is one possible example of a portion or all of the device 124of FIGS. 1D-1F, 1H, and 1I, and/or the external source(s)/destinations132 of FIGS. 1E-1G and 1I. The system 170 may include a controller(e.g., a processor/central processing unit (“CPU”)) 172, a memory unit174, an input/output (“/O”) device 176, and a network interface 178. Thecomponents 172, 174, 176, and 178 are interconnected by a data transportsystem (e.g., a bus) 180. A power supply (PS) 182 may provide power tocomponents of the system 170 via a power transport system 184 (shownwith data transport system 180, although the power and data transportsystems may be separate).

It is understood that the system 170 may be differently configured andthat each of the listed components may actually represent severaldifferent components. For example, the CPU 172 may actually represent amulti-processor or a distributed processing system; the memory unit 174may include different levels of cache memory, main memory, hard disks,and remote storage locations; the I/O device 176 may include monitors,keyboards, and the like; and the network interface 178 may include oneor more network cards providing one or more wired and/or wirelessconnections to a network 186. Therefore, a wide range of flexibility isanticipated in the configuration of the system 170, which may range froma single physical platform configured primarily for a single user orautonomous operation to a distributed multi-user platform such as acloud computing system.

The system 170 may use any operating system (or multiple operatingsystems), including various versions of operating systems provided byMicrosoft (such as WINDOWS), Apple (such as Mac OS X), UNIX, and LINUX,and may include operating systems specifically developed for handhelddevices (e.g., iOS, Android, Blackberry, and/or Windows Phone), personalcomputers, servers, and other computing platforms depending on the useof the system 170. The operating system, as well as other instructions(e.g., for telecommunications and/or other functions provided by thedevice 124), may be stored in the memory unit 174 and executed by theprocessor 172. For example, if the system 170 is the device 124, thememory unit 174 may include instructions for providing the NIO platform100 and for performing some or all of the methods described herein.

The network 186 may be a single network or may represent multiplenetworks, including networks of different types, whether wireless orwireline. For example, the device 124 may be coupled to external devicesvia a network that includes a cellular link coupled to a data packetnetwork, or may be coupled via a data packet link such as a wide localarea network (WLAN) coupled to a data packet network or a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN). Accordingly, many different networktypes and configurations may be used to couple the device 124 withexternal devices.

Referring to FIG. 1K, one embodiment of a system 180 is illustrated. Thesystem 180 is another possible example of a portion or all of the device124 of FIGS. 1D-1F, 1H, and 1I, and/or the externalsource(s)/destinations 132 of FIGS. 1E-1G and 1I. The system 180 may besimilar to the system 170 of FIG. 1J, but may contain only the CPU 172and memory 174. Other components, such as the power supply 182 and I/O176, may be external. In the present example, the system 180 may have nonetwork capability. In other embodiments, the system 180 may access anetwork such as the network 186 using a network interface such as thenetwork interface 178.

Referring to FIG. 1L, one embodiment of a system 190 is illustrated. Thesystem 190 is another possible example of a portion or all of the device124 of FIGS. 1D-1F, 1H, and 1L and/or the externalsource(s)/destinations 132 of FIGS. 1E-1G and 1I. The system 190 may besimilar to the system 170 of FIG. 1J, but may contain only the CPU 172.The memory 174 and other components, such as the power supply 182 andI/O 176, may be external. For example, the system 190 may rely on anexternal drive. In the present example, the system 190 may have nonetwork capability. In other embodiments, the system 190 may access thememory 174 via a network such as the network 186 using a networkinterface such as the network interface 178.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a NIO platform 200 illustrates a more detailedembodiment of the NIO platform 100 of FIG. 1A. In the present example,the NIO platform 200 includes two main components: service classes 202for one or more services that are to provide the configurable processingfunctionality 106 and core classes 206 for a core that is to provide thesupport functionality 108 for the services. Each service corresponds toblock classes 204 for one or more blocks that contain defined taskspecific functionality for processing niograms. The core includes aservice manager 208 that will manage the services (e.g., starting andstopping a service) and platform configuration information 210 thatdefines how the NIO platform 200 is to be configured, such as whatservices are available when the instance is launched.

When the NIO platform 200 is launched, a core and the correspondingservices form a single instance of the NIO platform 200. It isunderstood that multiple concurrent instances of the NIO platform 200can run on a single device (e.g., the device 124 of FIG. 1D). Each NIOplatform instance has its own core and services. The most basic NIOplatform instance is a core with no services. The functionality providedby the core would exist, but there would be no services on which thefunctionality could operate. Because the processing functionality of aNIO platform instance is defined by the executable code present in theblocks and the services are configured as collections of one or moreblocks, a single service containing a single block is the minimumconfiguration required for any processing of a niogram to occur.

It is understood that FIG. 2A illustrates the relationship between thevarious classes and other components. For example, the block classes arenot actually part of the service classes, but the blocks are related tothe services. Furthermore, while the service manager is considered to bepart of the core for purposes of this example (and so created using thecore classes), the core configuration information is not part of thecore classes but is used to configure the core and other parts of theNIO platform 200.

With additional reference to FIGS. 2B and 2C, embodiments of two NIOplatform instances 222 and 224, respectively, are illustrated ashierarchies that are created when a NIO platform, such as the NIOplatform 200 of FIG. 2A, is launched. The NIO platform instance 222 isan instance of a NIO platform #1 and the NIO platform instance 224 is aninstance of a NIO platform #2. The NIO platforms #1 and #2 may bedifferent platforms or may be different configurations of the sameplatform. Multiple NIO platform instances can be launched and executedconcurrently, either on a single device or on separate devices, and eachinstance can be separately closed. The NIO platform instances can bebased on the same NIO platform, in which case the instances will haveidentical functionality when launched. Alternatively, the NIO platforminstances can be based on different NIO platform configurations, inwhich case the instances will have different functionality when launchedwith the functionality of a particular instance being based on theparticular configuration of the underlying NIO platform.

Each NIO platform instance 222 and 224 contains a core 228 and one ormore services 230, and each service 230 contains one or more blocks 232.Each NIO platform instance 222 and 224 may have different numbers ofservices 230 running and those services 230 may use different numbers ofblocks 232. The services 230 running within a single NIO platforminstance 222 or 224 can be identical in functionality, different infunctionality, related (e.g., one service may perform one task in aseries of tasks and then another service may perform the next task),and/or unrelated.

This hierarchical structure enables the configurability of the NIOplatform 200 to be accessed at different levels, each of which offers adifferent level of granularity in the configuration process. Each NIOplatform instance 222 and 224 can be configured by adding, removing,and/or modifying the services 230 that form the instance. A service 230can be configured by adding, removing, and/or modifying the blocks 232that form the service 230, by modifying the arrangement of the blocks232 to change the data path through the blocks 232, by setting variousconfiguration parameters corresponding to the service, and/or byenabling the service 230 to use functionality provided by the core 228.In some embodiments, a service 230 can also be customized by adding,removing, and/or modifying the instructions (e.g., the source code)contained in the corresponding service class 202. A block 232 can becustomized by adding, removing, and/or modifying the instructions (e.g.,the source code) contained in the corresponding block class 204. A block232 can also be configured by setting various configuration parameterscorresponding to the block.

It is understood that, once configured using the platform configurationinformation 210, the NIO platform 200 may be reduced to a minimalfootprint. This may, in some embodiments, involve removing or otherwiselimiting the configurable and/or customizable functionality, with onlydefined service classes 202 and/or block classes 204 remaining withrespect to the processing functionality 106. Similarly, unused modulesand/or core components (discussed later) may also be removed from thesupport functionality 108. Even if the NIO platform 200 is made to be nolonger customizable or configurable by a user, it is understood thatupdates and other changes may still be made to existing service classes202 and/or block classes 204 in some embodiments.

Removing and/or otherwise limiting the configurability and/orcustomizability may be used to ensure that the existing functionality isnot changed once defined as desired. It is understood that the supportfunctionality 108 would still remain in the NIO platform 100 to managethe services 230 and/or blocks 232 in a running instance. Accordingly,the NIO platform 200 may be reduced to a more conventionalapplication-style format for distribution, installation, and/or use fora targeted purpose, although services 230 and/or blocks 232 would stillrun via the core environment provided by the NIO platform 200.

With additional reference to FIG. 3, one embodiment of a service 230(based on one of the service classes 202 of FIG. 2A as launched in oneof the instances 222 of FIG. 2B or 224 of FIG. 2C) is illustrated withmultiple blocks 232 a, 232 b, . . . , and 232M (based on block classes204), with M being the total number of blocks contained by the service230. The service 230 may be viewed as the framework that is responsiblefor assembling the contained group of blocks (e.g., blocks 232 a-232M)into a workflow to define the logical path that a niogram within theservice 230 will follow. While the blocks 232 a-232M may not beliterally linked within the service 230, the service 230 may manage theorder in which blocks 232 are called for processing and, in so doing,direct a niogram within the service 230 to the appropriate next block.Starting the service 230 enables an instance of the NIO platform 200 touse the blocks' functionality to process niograms. Accordingly, thevalue of M is greater or equal to one, as a service 230 that has noblocks 232 would provide no functionality. It is understood that theservice 230 may include blocks that are not always used, such as blocksthat are only executed if a particular conditional branch occurs.

While entirely custom service classes 202 and block classes 204 may becreated and used with the NIO platform 200 for custom services 230 andblocks 232, the functionality of some or all services 230 and/or blocks232 may be predefined, either in whole or in part. For example, aservice 230 directed to receiving and forwarding a particular type ofmessage may be defined in the corresponding service class 202 with theexception of configuration parameters for source and destination.Starting the service 230 would automatically start the blocks 232 to beused with the service and provide an instance of the NIO platform 200with the service's receive and forward functionality. The source anddestination can be added via the platform configuration information 210or in another way, such as through the use of commands issued to theservice 230 and/or blocks 232 through an interface.

In a more complex example, a largely pre-defined service 230 may bemodifiable by defining the behavior of one or more blocks classes 204for the blocks 232 within the service 230, either by providing originalcode for the block class 204 or by selecting a predefined block class204. For example, the service 230 may process the received message andforward the message to one of various different destinations dependingon the message's contents. This conditional functionality may beachieved by writing instructions for inclusion in a new block class 204for a new block to be used in the service 230, by writing instructionsfor inclusion in one of the block classes 204 for a block 232 that isalready part of the service 230, and/or by configuring an existing blockclass 204 that already enables such conditional functionality.

A single defined service 230 may be used in multiple platform instancesand a single defined block 232 may be used in multiple services. It isunderstood that modifying a service 230 by customizing and/orreconfiguring the service class 202/service 230 may require a restart ofany platform instances currently using that service 230 for themodification to take effect, as the platform instances may otherwisecontinue running the previous version of the service 230 that wasinstantiated when launched. Similarly, modifying a block 232 bycustomizing and/or reconfiguring the block class 204/service 230 mayrequire a restart of any services 230 currently using that block 232 forthe modification to take effect, as the services 230 may otherwisecontinue running the previous version of the block 232 that wasinstantiated when launched.

With additional reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, another embodiment of theNIO platform 200 of FIG. 2A is illustrated as a NIO platform 400 priorto being launched (FIG. 4A) and as a NIO platform instance 402 afterbeing launched (FIG. 4B). FIG. 4A illustrates the NIO platform 400 withcore classes 206, service classes 202, block classes 204, andconfiguration information 210 that are used to create and configure thecore 228, services 230 a-230N, and blocks 232 a-232M of the NIO platforminstance 402. It is understood that, although not shown in FIG. 4B, thecore classes 206, service classes 202, block classes 204, andconfiguration information 210 generally continue to exist as part of theNIO platform instance 402.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4B, the NIO platform instance 402 may beviewed as a runtime environment within which the core 228 creates andruns the services 230 a, 230 b, . . . , and 230N. Each service 230a-230N may have a different number of blocks. For example, service 230 aincludes blocks 232 a, 232 b, and 232 c. Service 230 b includes a singleblock 232 d. Service 230N includes blocks 232 e, 232 f, . . . , and232M.

One or more of the services 230 a-230N may be stopped or started by thecore 228. When stopped, the functionality provided by that service willnot be available until the service is started by the core 228.Communication may occur between the core 228 and the services 230a-230N, as well as between the services 230 a-230N themselves.

In the present example, the core 228 and each service 230 a-230N is aseparate process from an operating system/hardware perspective.Accordingly, the NIO platform instance 402 of FIG. 4B would have N+1processes running, and the operating system may distribute those acrossmulti-core devices as with any other processes. It is understood thatthe configuration of particular services may depend in part on a designdecision that takes into account the number of processes that will becreated. For example, it may be desirable from a process standpoint tohave numerous but smaller services in some embodiments, while it may bedesirable to have fewer but larger services in other embodiments. Theconfigurability of the NIO platform 400 enables such decisions to beimplemented relatively easily by modifying the functionality of eachservice 230 a-230N.

In other embodiments, the NIO platform instance 402 may be structured torun the core 228 and/or services 230 a-230N as threads rather thanprocesses. For example, the core 228 may be a process and the services230 a-230N may run as threads of the core process.

Referring to FIG. 4C, one embodiment of a diagram 410 illustrates thecore process 228 and the services 230 a. 230 b, and 230N of FIG. 4Bplotted against an axis 412 representing time. More specifically, thediagram 410 illustrates examples of stop and start times for the coreprocess 228 and services 230 a, 230 b, and 230N relative to one another,with multiple services running simultaneously at some times and with noservices running at other times.

At time t0, the NIO platform instance 402 is not running. At time t1,the NIO platform instance 402 is started with the core process 228 asindicated by line 414. The core process 228 generally remains runningthe entire time the NIO platform instance 402 is running, as the coreprocess 228 is needed for the NIO platform instance 402 to exist. It isunderstood that, if the core process 228 crashes, the services 230 a,230 b, and 230N may continue to run as long as they are separateprocesses from the core process 228. However, the core process 228 canno longer be used to communicate with the service processes or otherwisecontrol them, and so the NIO platform instance 402 no longer exists whenthe core process ends even if the service processes continue to run. Ifthe services 230 a, 230 b, and 230N are threads of the core process 228,then the services 230 a. 230 b, and 230N will typically end if the coreprocess 228 crashes.

At time t2, the service 230 a is started as indicated by line 416. Attime t3, the service 230 a is stopped, but the core process 228continues running even though no services are running at this time. Attime t₄, the service 230N is started as indicated by line 422. At timet₅, the service 230 a is restarted as indicated by line 418. At time t₆,the service 230 b is started as indicated by line 420. At time t₇, theservice 230 b is stopped. At time t8, the services 230 a and 230N arestopped. At time t₉, the core process 228 is stopped, which shuts downthe NIO platform instance 402. If the core process 228 is stopped whileservices are still running, the core process 228 may shut down therunning services before stopping.

Referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, embodiments of the service 230 of FIG. 3 areillustrated. Any service 230 defined in the processing functionality 106of FIG. 2A may be altered by adding, removing, and/or modifying one ormore of the blocks 232 that form that service. Each block 232 within theservice 230 contains instructions. The instructions within a particularblock 232 may be simple or complex. Accordingly, a particular service230 that is configured to provide a particular function may beimplemented in many different ways depending on the blocks 232 used andthe instructions contained within each block 232. In this respect, theservice 230 may be viewed as an executable program that can be writtenin many different ways and then executed by the NIO platform instance402.

Referring specifically to FIG. 5A, one embodiment of the service 230 isformed from a single block 232. This is the minimal requirement for aservice 230 having functionality. Referring specifically to FIG. 5B,another embodiment of the service 230 is formed from two blocks 232 aand 232 b that are linked together to form a “chain” of blocks. In thisembodiment, block 232 a feeds into block 232 b. It is understood thatthe blocks 232 a and 232 b may not be literally linked within theservice 230, but that the service 230 “links” the blocks from anoperational perspective by directing that a niogram that is an output ofblock 232 a becomes an input to block 232 b.

Referring specifically to FIG. 5C, yet another embodiment of the service230 is illustrated with a more complicated block structure. Although theservice 230 is made up of a “chain” of blocks 232 a-232 e, it isunderstood that the blocks 232 a-232 e may not be executed in a linearmanner. In other words, the blocks 232 a-232 e may include instructionsthat vary the execution order within the service 230. For example, ablock may contain an instruction that is conditional, with the nextblock being selected and executed depending on how the condition is met.Furthermore, it is understood that the blocks 232 a-232 e need not beliterally arranged in an order of execution, and that the platformconfiguration information 210 is used to define the service 230 and, insome embodiments, the various dependencies between the blocks 232 a-232e.

The blocks 232 a-232 e and the arrangement of those blocks may beoptimized for use with a particular service 230. For example, the blocks232 a-232 e may be optimized for a particular pattern of execution thatcorresponds to the service's processing needs.

The blocks 232 a-232 e of FIG. 5C serve to illustrate various possiblecombinations that may occur within the service 230, although it isunderstood that other combinations may be used that are not illustrated.In the present embodiment, block 232 a is able to call or otherwisereturn to itself (as indicated by arrow 502). Block 232 a feeds intoblock 232 b (as indicated by arrow 504) and/or block 232 c (as indicatedby arrow 506). For example, block 232 a may split a niogram into twoniograms. One niogram may be passed to block 232 b and the other niogrammay be passed to block 232 c. In another example, the block 232 a maycontain instructions for a conditional branch and an evaluation of theniogram may determine whether the niogram is sent to block 232 b orblock 232 c. Alternatively, the block 232 a may send the niogram to bothblock 232 b and block 232 c. One or both of the blocks 232 b and 232 cmay then filter the niogram after receiving it or another block (notshown) may be added before one or both of the blocks 232 b or 232 c tofilter the niogram before it reaches the block.

One or both blocks 232 b and 232 c may feed into block 232 d (asindicated by arrows 508 and 510, respectively), which illustrates howmultiple blocks can feed into a single block. For example, a niogramfrom each of blocks 232 b and 232 c may be passed to block 232 d, wherethe niograms are combined or otherwise processed. In another example, aniogram may be received from only one of blocks 232 b and 232 c,depending on factors such as the processing within those blocks andwhether a conditional statement executed in block 232 a passed a niogramto only one of the blocks 232 b and 232 c. Block 232 d feeds into block232 e (as indicated by arrow 512).

It is understood that a block may be called without being a link in theoverall chain. For example, block 232 a may use block 232 b to obtain avalue (e.g., perform a calculation and return a value) and then continueexecution with block 232 c after the value is returned. In this case,arrow 508 would not exist. The manner in which the block 232 b returnsthe value depends on the particular implementation of the blocks. Aswill be described below, the blocks may be implemented so that theoutput of a block is routed to another block by the service, may beimplemented to support direct calls between blocks, or may beimplemented with one or more commands used to access a block. Regardlessof the implementation, from this perspective, the blocks 232 a-232 e maybe viewed as modular components of a program that can be called withinthe program based on the desired functionality provided by a particularblock.

It is understood that, although complex arrangements of blocks 232 maybe used to create the service 230, it may be desirable in someembodiments to arrange the blocks in a single chain to create anoptimized execution path. Furthermore, the service 230 of FIG. 5C may becreated as a single block in some embodiments.

While input to the service 230 is often fed first to the initial blockin a chain (e.g., block 232 a), input may be handled by any block withinthe service 230 based on how the service 230 and/or the blocks 232 a-232e are configured. For example, input may enter block 232 b, and bepassed to block 232 a and/or 232 d. In turn, block 232 b may remain aspart of the output path for block 232 a. This allows a great deal offlexibility within a particular service 230.

It is understood that when the present disclosure refers to a service230 receiving input, the input is actually being received by a block 232within the service 230. Similarly, output is produced by a block 232within the service 230. However, as the service 230 includes the blocks232 used within the service 230, the service 230 may be describedgenerally as receiving input and producing output.

Accordingly, a single service 230 may be configured in many differentways. While optimizations may indicate a particular desirable serviceconfiguration for a particular use, a service 230 can be fine-tunedbased on factors such as the desired functionality of the service andthe characteristics of the device 124 on which the NIO platform 200 isto run (e.g., memory limitations such as cache size and throughput,processor speed, number of processor cores, and/or data rates of inputdata streams). This configurability enables the NIO platform 200 to beoptimized for many different environments if needed by changing thestructure of the services 230 and blocks 232 when possible, rather thanthe core 228.

Referring to FIGS. 5D and 5E, embodiments of services 230 a and 230 b,respectively, are illustrated. In the present embodiments, each block232 is decoupled from both the service 230 by which it is being used andfrom the other blocks 232 that are used by the service 230. Each block232 is a self-contained entity that asynchronously receives input,processes that input in a manner defined by the block's internal code,and produces an output. The block's asynchronicity is possible becausethe block 232 has no awareness that it is part of a service 230 or thatit is associated with other blocks as part of a functional chain. Theblock 232 simply handles data as it arrives and creates an output.

This decoupling of the block's functionality from other blocks 232 inthe service 230 enables each block 232 to be reused without having toalter the code within the block 232 itself. For example, if a block 232was configured to call a specific destination block after finishing itsown processing, this call would likely have to be modified for eachservice 230 in which the block 232 was used and also if the block 232was moved to a different location of the functional path within the sameservice 230. Instead, because the block 232 is decoupled and the service230 is configured to manage the block's output, the block 232 can remainunchanged for different services or during moves within the same serviceeven though its output may be routed differently.

By making the service 230 responsible for the data flow path betweenblocks 232, the actual block structure is simplified and need not beconcerned with anything except its own processing and, at the end,notifying the service 230 that output is available. Decoupling theblock's functionality from the service 230 and other blocks 232 in thismanner also enables the block to be swapped out for another block withdifferent functionality, which makes service modification easier.

This decoupling is illustrated in FIGS. 5D and 5E, which representembodiments of services 230 a and 230 b, respectively. Each service 230a and 230 b has the same number of blocks 232. However, the order of theblocks is different and the final output is different. For example, theservice 230 a of FIG. 5D has the following functional chain: block 232 a(input), block 232 b (filter), block 232 c (convert to niograms), block232 d (compare niograms), block 232 e (combine niograms), and block 232f (output as actuation). In contrast, the service 230 b of FIG. 5E hasthe following functional chain: block 232 a (input), block 232 b(filter), block 232 c (convert to niograms), block 232 e (combineniograms), block 232 d (compare niograms), and block 232 g (output asemail).

These functional chains are illustrated below in Table 1 (for service230 a) and Table 2 (for service 230 b) in the form of source anddestination information. For example, each service 230 a and 230 b maymanage a list, table, or other data storage structure with suchinformation. It is understood that the actual order of the blocks in thedata storage structure may vary as long as the services 230 a and 230 bcan tell which destination block(s) are to be serviced with output froma particular source block.

TABLE 1 Source Block Destination Block Block 232a Block 232b Block 232bBlock 232c Block 232c Block 232d Block 232d Block 232e Block 232e Block232f

TABLE 2 Source Block Destination Block Block 232a Block 232b Block 232bBlock 232c Block 232c Block 232e Block 232e Block 232d Block 232d Block232g

As can be seen, the order of execution of blocks 232 d and 232 e in theservice 230 a has been altered in the service 230 b. Because the blocksare decoupled, the alteration can be accomplished simply by modifyingthe order of blocks (e.g., the source/destination pairs) in the service230 b and requires no changes to the blocks themselves or to the blockspreceding or succeeding the blocks 232 d and 232 e.

Another difference between the two services 230 a and 230 b is that theoutput block of FIG. 5E sends an email rather than the actuation of FIG.5D. One way to perform this change in functionality is to swap out theblock 232 f of FIG. 5D for the block 232 g of FIG. 5E. This may be donewhen the blocks 232 f and 232 g contain only the specific functionalityrequired for their purpose. Another way to perform this change infunctionality would be to modify the block 232 f to give it the desiredfunctionality of the block 232 g or to create a new block with thedesired functionality. Yet another way would be to set configurationparameters for the block 232 f to select the desired functionality,assuming that the block 232 f already contains the functionality forproducing both actuations and email as outputs. Regardless of the way inwhich the functionality is implemented for the blocks 232 f and 232 g,the decoupled aspect of the blocks means that the preceding block 232 e(FIG. 5D) or 232 d (FIG. 5E) is unaware of the changes and is notaffected.

With additional reference to FIGS. 5F and 5G, embodiments of a service230 (FIG. 5F) and multiple block threads (FIG. 5G) are illustrated. Inthe present example, the service 230 includes five blocks 232 a-232 e,which may also be referred to as Blocks 1-5, respectively. Due to theasynchronous nature of the blocks 232 a-232 e, some or all of the blocks232 a-232 e in the service 230 can process niograms concurrently. Inother words, different niograms may be concurrently processed by thedifferent blocks 232 a-232 e of the single service 230. Furthermore, asingle block 232 a-232 e may process multiple niograms concurrently dueto threading.

The ability to concurrently process multiple niograms may increase thethroughput of the service 230. The ability to replicate one or more ofthe blocks 232 a-232 e by executing the block's functionality inmultiple concurrent threads enables the service 230 to dynamically scaleits processing capacity as needed. For example, this allows the service230 to increase its processing capacity to handle input surges and thenreduce its processing capacity once the surge subsides.

Each block 232 a-232 e takes a period of time (e.g., a second or afraction of a second) to process a single signal or niogram, although itis understood that the actual rate of a particular block may varydepending on such factors as the complexity of the block, the content ofthe niograms, the processor speed of the device on which the service 230is running, the number of processor cores, and/or the size of the cache.For purposes of example, the block 232 a is able to process a signal andproduce an output of a niogram in 0.5 seconds, the block 232 b is ableto process a niogram in 1.5 seconds, the block 232 c is able to processa niogram in 1.0 seconds, the block 232 d is able to process a niogramin 0.5 seconds, and the block 232 e is able to process a niogram in 1.0seconds.

If only one thread can exist for each block, the block that takes thelongest time to process a signal or niogram would determine thethroughput of the service 230, assuming that the input rate to theservice 230 is higher than the slowest block's processing rate. In thiscase, the block 232 b would be the bottleneck and would limit theservice's throughput to one niogram every 1.5 seconds if only one threadexists for each block 232 a-232 e. The blocks 232 c and 232 e would bebottlenecks if not for the block 232 b. The blocks 232 a and 232 d wouldnot be bottlenecks as they can process more quickly than the otherblocks. With only one thread for each block 232 a-232 e, the service 230would be processing five niograms every 1.5 seconds (e.g., one niogramin each block 232 a-232 e) with an output of one niogram every 1.5seconds, but this would not be efficient as four of the five blockswould spend time waiting on block 232 b.

One way to address this problem would be to construct the blocks 232a-232 e so that all of the blocks in the service 230 process niograms atapproximately the same rate. However, this is a relatively inefficientway to handle the problem as any changes might affect the processingrate of one or more blocks and each new service would have to bebalanced in this manner. This approach would complicate the design andimplementation of services within the NIO platform 200.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5G, the NIO platform 200 is designed sothat the service 230 can make use of concurrent threads for a singleblock, which allows the service 230 to dynamically scale its processingcapacity as needed. Continuing the previous example. Block 1 isexecuting at a speed of 0.5 seconds per niogram, so it is processing twosignals per second and outputting two niograms per second. It is assumedthat Block 1 outputs its niograms at a steady rate of one niogram every0.5 seconds. This and other simplifications, such as a block executionspeed measured in seconds, are used in the present example for purposesof illustration and it is understood that inputs may be irregular,processing may occur much more rapidly, and threading within an actualexecuting service may be far more complicated.

Block 2 has three threads 1, 2, and 3 running. It is noted that eachthread of Block 2 is only processing one niogram and a total of threeconcurrent threads will be needed to process the three niograms outputby Block 1 during the 1.5 second processing time required by Block 2.Block 3 has two threads 1 and 2 running. Block 4 has only thread 1running. Block 5 has two threads 1 and 2 running.

If the input lessens, the number of threads may lessen. If the inputrate drops to one signal or less every 1.5 seconds, only a single threadof each block would exist. If the input rate increases, the number ofthreads may increase, and Blocks 1 and 5 may also have additionalthreads. Accordingly, the NIO platform 200 is able to dynamically scaleits processing capacity to handle scenarios such as varying input rates.

In cases where race conditions or similar thread collision issues maypresent a problem between concurrently executing threads, resourcelocking and unlocking may be used. For example, if the Block 5 threads 1and 2 are to write to a file as output, it may be undesirable to allowthem both to write to the file concurrently. Accordingly, one thread mayacquire a lock, write to the file, and then release the lock. The otherthread cannot write to the file until the lock is released. In othercases, race conditions or other thread collision issues may not be aconcern.

It is noted that while intra-service interactions are decoupled in thepresent embodiment, certain blocks 232 may be aware of sources and/ordestinations outside of the service 230. For example, the block 232 amay be configured to poll or otherwise pull data from a data source andwould need to be aware of the source (e.g., the source's networkaddress) in order to accomplish its purpose. Likewise, the blocks 232 eand 232 f may be configured with an awareness of the destination.

It is understood that some embodiments may use blocks 232 that areimplemented in such a way that the blocks are responsible for callingthe next block. In other words, the blocks 232 may be coupled, with ablock being aware of the next block to which it should pass its output.For example, a block 232 may contain instructions identifying anotherblock to which output is to be sent. The block 232 may then executethose instructions when output is available and directly call the nextblock without needing the service 230 to handle the output. The blocks232 may still execute in an asynchronous manner in such embodiments.While this implementation is within the scope of the presentapplication, it is not used in this embodiment due to the additionalcomplexity and lack of reusability that would result from such animplementation.

Referring to FIG. 6A, a method 600 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the NIO platform instance 101 of FIG. 1Bor the NIO platform instance 402 of FIG. 4B. In step 602, a platforminstance is launched. In step 604, one or more services and/or blocksmay be configured. For example, a block 232 may be configured withcustomized code and/or configuration parameters, and a service 230 maybe configured by assigning various blocks to it and defining a data flowamong those blocks, and/or by setting various configuration parameters.In step 606, one or more of the configured service(s) 230 and block(s)232 are started. In step 608, input data is processed as defined by theservice(s) 230 and block(s) 232 in the instance. In other embodiments,one or more services and/or blocks may be configured before the platforminstance is launched.

Referring to FIG. 6B, a method 610 illustrates a more detailedembodiment of step 604 of FIG. 6A. In step 612, one or more blocks 232are selected or defined for use in the service 230. For example,predefined blocks 232 may be selected for use in their current form ormay be selected and modified. Custom blocks 232 may also be created byinserting instructions into a blank block and saving the block as a newblock.

In step 614, the service 230 is defined by creating a new service andconfiguring it with information identifying the blocks 232 to be usedand the arrangement (e.g., the data flow) of those blocks 232.Configuration parameters may also be set for the service 230. In otherembodiments, an existing service 230 may be configured by settingconfiguration parameters associated with the service 230 and/or byadding, removing, and/or modifying blocks, as well as by modifying thedata flow defined for the blocks 232. In step 616, the service 230 issaved.

It is understood that if an existing service 230 is to be used withoutmodification, the method 610 would simply involve selecting that service230 for use, as the corresponding blocks 232 would already be associatedwith the service 230. In some embodiments, the service 230 may becreated before the blocks 232 are selected or defined, and the servicemay then be updated with blocks and other information.

Referring to FIG. 7, a method 700 illustrates a more detailed embodimentof steps 602 and 606 of FIG. 6A. In step 702, a platform instance islaunched, which includes launching a core process. In step 704, the coreprocess discovers the platform instance's services 230 using theavailable configuration information. Among other items, theconfiguration information identifies whether any services 230 areconfigured to auto-start as represented by step 706.

If one or more services 230 are configured to auto-start, the method 700moves to step 708. In step 708, the service or services are startedwithout needing additional start commands and the method 700 then movesto step 710. If no services 230 are configured to auto-start, the method700 moves from step 706 to step 710.

In step 710, a determination is made as to whether any commands havebeen received. If no command has been received, step 710 may repeatuntil a command is received. If a command has been received, the method700 moves to step 712.

In step 712, a determination is made as to whether any servicestart/stop commands have been received. In other words, whether acommand has been received to start a service 230 or to stop a currentlyrunning service 230. If the determination of step 712 indicates that astart or stop command has been received, the method 700 continues tostep 714. In step 714, a determination is made as to whether the commandwas a start command or a stop command. If the determination of step 714indicates that a stop command was received, the method 700 continues tostep 716, where the service or services identified in the stop commandare stopped. If the determination of step 714 indicates that a startcommand was received, the method 700 continues to step 718, where theservice or services identified in the start command are started.Following the execution of either step 716 or step 718, the method 700returns to step 710.

If the determination of step 712 indicates that a start or stop commandhas not been received, the method 700 continues to step 720. In step720, a determination is made as to whether a command has been receivedto close the platform instance. If the determination of step 720indicates that a close command was received, the method 700 continues tostep 722, where the platform instance is closed. This may entail closingany running services 230 prior to closing the platform instance. If thedetermination of step 720 indicates that no close command was received,the method 700 continues to step 724.

In step 724, the command (which is not a service stop/start command or aclose instance command) is executed. The method 700 then returns to step710. The method 700 may repeat from step 710 multiple times, startingand stopping services and/or executing other commands if requested untilthe platform instance is closed. It is understood that the order of somesteps in FIG. 7 may vary, such as the order of steps 712, 720, and 724.Furthermore, some steps, such as steps for handling errors (e.g.,requests for invalid commands) are not shown.

Referring to FIG. 8, a method 800 illustrates a more detailed embodimentof step 608 of FIG. 6A. In step 802, one or more input signal streamsare received as defined by the NIO platform instance's configuration.For example, the NIO platform instance 402 may be configured to pulland/or receive data from one or more streaming sources. These signalstreams may contain any type of analog and/or digital signal and maycontain data. In step 804, the signals are extracted from the signalstream in real time as defined by the NIO platform instances'sconfiguration. This step may include filtering to separate noise fromrelevant signal information. In step 806, the extracted signals areconverted into niograms for internal processing as defined by the NIOplatform instance's configuration.

In step 808, the internal processing is performed, which may includereal time context enrichment. The particular processing and contextenrichment (if applicable) that occurs depends on the configuration ofthe NIO platform instance 402. In step 810, output is produced by theNIO platform instance 402 as defined by the platform instance'sconfiguration. The output may be in the form of a niogram and/or anytype of signal, including data of any format type and/or actuationsignals.

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, a NIO platform 900 illustrates a moredetailed embodiment of the NIO platform 100 of FIG. 1A, the NIO platform200 of FIG. 2A, or the NIO platform 400 of FIG. 4A from a platformperspective (FIG. 9A) and a stack perspective (FIG. 9B). For purposes ofexample, the NIO platform 900 is written in the programming languagePython, but it is understood that any suitable programming language canbe used, including but not limited to languages such as C++. The NIOplatform 900 is built on a core 906. When launched, a core processcreates a core server (generally referred to herein as the core), whichforms the underlying structure of the NIO platform 900.

Service components 902 include services 916 and blocks 918 from afunctional perspective, even though the services 902 and blocks 918 areillustrated separately in the stack of FIG. 9B. As previously described,the service components 902 are responsible for user definedfunctionality by enabling block and service functionality to be definedand changed. Much of the functionality in a service component 902 can beuser specific, which allows for a high level of customization.

In the present example, the service components 902 are provided asservice classes 917 that define how services 916 are created andexecuted. The execution of services 916 includes routing signals,executing commands, and defining class structures. Some or all of theservice classes 917 that form a service component 902 can be extended todefine new functionality. This provides a large amount of flexibility ina neutral manner, as a user can define whatever functionality is desiredthrough the service components 902 and that functionality will beexecuted by the NIO platform 900.

Generally, the service components 902 in one platform instance have nodependency or awareness of another platform instance's servicecomponents, which allows for each particular platform instance to beconfigured without having to take into account how the configurationwould affect other platform instances. Furthermore, changingfunctionality in a service component 902 has no effect on the core 906.This ensures that the core 906 does not have to be modified to becompatible with the service components 902.

In the present example, from a functional perspective, the servicecomponents 902 include blocks 918, block classes 917, block instances(also referred to simply as “blocks”), block groups, commands, services916, and niograms.

In the NIO platform 900, blocks classes 919 may include classes for bothcustom blocks 934 and blocks having predefined functionality such asRFID block(s) 924, short message service (SMS) block(s) 926, sensorblock(s) 928, programmable logic controller (PLC) block(s) 930, andglobal positioning satellite (GPS) block(s) 932. Although not shown, itis understood that many other blocks 918 may be defined for use withsystems using Electronic Product Codes (EPCs) (a trademark of EPCglobalInc, of Lawrenceville, N.J.), Low Level Reader Protocol (LLRP)information, email (e.g., simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP)),hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) documents, and/or any otherprotocols.

Blocks 919 are classes that specify the metadata template andcomputational functionality of block instances. In the present example,blocks 918 are built from block classes 919 that extend a BaseBlockclass and can specify custom behavior by overriding any of the followingfive basic methods provided by the BaseBlock class:BaseBlock.initialize, BaseBlock.configure, BaseBlock.start,BaseBlock.stop, and BaseBlock.processSignals. These methods are used bythe service 916 that corresponds to the blocks 918.

The BaseBlock.initialize method is called to instantiate the block 918using the corresponding block class 919. The BaseBlock.configure methodis called to configure the block 918 after initialization using a savedblock configuration. The BaseBlock.start method is called to start theblock 918 after instantiation and configuration. The BaseBlock.stopmethod is called to stop the block 918 (e.g., when the containingservice 916 has been stopped). The BaseBlock.processSignals contains themain processing functionality provided by the block 918. TheBaseBlock.processSignals method processes a (possibly empty) list ofincoming signals and notifies the service 916 when done (e.g., via anotifySignals method, which is discussed below).

A block instance is created when a block 918 is instantiated from ablock class 919. A block instance may be viewed as the fundamental unitof computation in the NIO platform 900 and may be customized andconfigured as prescribed by the block class 919 being instantiated. Ablock instance only exists inside a service 916. Accordingly, when aservice 916 is started or stopped, the blocks 918 inside that service916 are also started or stopped. In the present example of the NIOplatform 900, there is no concept of a block 918 running outside aservice 916.

Block configurations, which are used to configure blocks 918, can bereused in different services 916 and may be viewed as savedconfigurations of blocks 918. When the configuration of a block 918 ischanged, it will be changed for all blocks 918 in all services 916 thatcontain it. However, if a service 916 is running, the configuration ofthe running block instance may only be updated after the service 916 isrestarted.

In other embodiments, a block instance may be updated without restartingthe service 916. For example, if the block instance is not currently inuse by the service 916, the block instance may be stopped, reconfiguredwith the new block configuration, and restarted. Alternatively, if notin use, the block instance may be destroyed and a new block instance maybe instantiated with the new block configuration. In such embodiments,the service 916 may continue running or may be paused, rather thanstopped and restarted.

Outside agents (e.g., other services and/or external APIs) may modifythe behavior of specific blocks 918 via a command API (discussed below).Within the command API, block instances may be referenced by a servicelevel block alias and/or a block group level. For this reason, globallyunique block identifiers are not necessary in the present example,although they may be used in some embodiments.

Block instances can directly receive and send signals without goingthrough the service 916. In this respect, a block 918 can serve as aninterface through which signals can enter the NIO platform 900 and besent from the NIO platform 900.

With additional reference to FIG. 9C, one embodiment of a hierarchy 990is illustrated with a single service 916, blocks 918, and block groups992 and 994. Block groups provide re-usable assemblies of blockconfigurations that can be dropped into a service 916 like other blocks.The configuration of a block group resembles a service 916 in that thereis a list of blocks and block mappings to define the flow of niogramsbetween the blocks 918. Whenever one of these inner blocks producesniograms, the block group's logic handles the routing of those niogramsto the next blocks in the chain, similar to how a service 916 wouldhandle such routing. For example, the block group may include one ormore controllers (e.g., one or more blocks or other control mechanisms)containing the logic to handle routing within the block group to controlthe data flow within the block group. In such embodiments, the service916 may treat the block group's control block as simply another blockwithin the service 916 and may communicate with the control block justas with other non-grouped blocks.

In the present embodiment, the block groups 992 and 994 specificallydefine entry and exit points for niograms. In contrast, niograms mayenter and leave the service 916 through any properly configured block918. In other embodiments, the block groups 992 and 994 may notspecifically define such entry and exit points.

Block groups can be nested in some embodiments, with a block groupforming part of another block group. This is shown in FIG. 9C with blockgroup 994 nested inside of block group 992. A nested block group mayonly communicate with the service 916 through the higher level blockgroup. For example, block group 994 may only communicate with theservice 916 through block group 992, rather than directly. In otherembodiments, the service 916 may have direct access to nested blockgroups.

Since a block group is to be used inside a service 916, the service 916may need to access commands (discussed later) of the inner blocks 918.In the present example of the NIO platform 900, this may be accomplishedby defining command mappings inside the block group's configuration.After these mappings are defined, the block group knows to pass thecommand down to one of the inner blocks when a certain command is calledon the block group. It is understood that not every inner block commandmay need to be exposed to the service 916 in the block group's commandmappings. Accordingly, access may be provided based on such factors asthe particular functionality of the block group and how thatfunctionality is used by a service 916.

While blocks 918 have specific entry and exit points for niograms, blockgroups may have more than one entry and/or exit point. Morespecifically, a block 918 only has one possible entry point for use byprevious blocks 918 in a service chain. In contrast, a block group hasmany blocks 918 that could be considered the starting point for niogramprocessing. As a result, one of the configuration options of the blockgroup is defining one or more starting points for niogram processing.Then, when a service 916 passes niograms to the block group, thoseniograms will be forwarded to each block 918 in the list of startingpoints. Similarly, the block group can be configured to define a list ofend points. When blocks 918 specified in this list produce niograms, theblock group's logic handles the process of notifying the parent service916 and/or the parent block group of those niograms.

For purposes of example, one embodiment of a block group may includevarious configuration options such as blocks, blockMappings,commandMappings, startPoints, and endPoints. An object “blocks” providesa mapping of the block names of all blocks 918 within a block group tothe unique block alias of each block 918. An object “blockMappings”provides a mapping of the block aliases to a list of the next blockaliases that fall in the chain of the block group (i.e., which block 918feeds into which block). An object “commandMappings” provides a mappingof commands to inner-block commands.

An array “startPoints” is an array of strings that defines the blockaliases that should be used as the starting points of the block group.When niograms are delivered from the service 916 to the block group, theblocks 918 listed in the startPoints array will receive the niograms forprocessing. An array endPoints is an array of strings that defines theblock aliases that should be used as the ending points of the blockgroup. When blocks 918 listed in the endPoints array produce niograms, anotification will propagate up outside of the block group.

With additional reference to FIG. 9D, as described previously, services916 are the main organizational component of the NIO platform'sconfigurable processing functionality. Each service 916 maintains ablock router 921, a block controller 922 for each block 918 a-918M, itsown configuration parameters, a list of block instances for thatservice, and an associative list of block aliases. In the presentembodiment where the service 916 is a process, the service process mayhandle all communications between the service 916 and the servicemanager 914. In other embodiments, the block router 921 or anothercomponent within the service 916 may handle such communications.

The block controllers 922 a-922M serve as intermediaries between theblock router 921 and their respective blocks 918 a-918M. In performingthis intermediary function, the block controllers 922 a-922M mimic boththe block router 921 and the blocks 918 a-918M. For example, the blockrouter 921 may instantiate the block controller 922 a, which in turninstantiates the block instance 918 a. In other embodiments, the blockrouter 921 may instantiate the block controller 922 a and the blockinstance 918 a. After instantiation, the block router 921 communicateswith the block controller 922 a as though the block controller 922 a isthe block 918 a. Similarly, the block 918 a communicates with the blockcontroller 922 as though the block controller 922 is the block router921. Accordingly, removal of the block controllers 922 a-922M would notprevent communications between the block router 921 and the blocks 918a-918M, but would remove the functionality provided by the blockcontrollers 922 a-922M from the service 916 unless that functionalitywas included elsewhere in the service (e.g., in the block router 921and/or the blocks 918 a-918M).

The block controllers 922 a-922M may be configured to perform errorhandling and/or other functions for their respective blocks 918 a-918 c.Generally, only functions that are likely needed by many or all blocksmay be provided by the block controllers 922 a-922M. This enables ageneric block controller to be used for a block 918 regardless of thefunctionality of that particular block. Accordingly, each blockcontroller 922 a-922M is identical in the present example. In otherembodiments, block controllers having different configurations may beused for different blocks based on the need of a particular block and/orother criteria.

The block controllers 922 a-922M may be configured to make certaindecisions about whether to pass information to the block router 921. Forexample, when the block 918 a throws an error, the error is caught bythe block controller 922 a. The block controller 922 a may then decidehow to handle the error, including passing the error up to the blockrouter 921, ignoring the error, and/or taking other action. For example,if the error indicates that the block instance 918 a has stoppedworking, the block controller 922 a may proactively notify the blockrouter 921 or may wait to notify the block router 921 until the blockrouter 921 attempts to use the block instance. Removal of the blockcontroller 922 a would remove this error handling functionality so thatwhen the block 918 a throws the error, the block router 921 would catchit.

The block router 921 handles data flow among the blocks 918 a-918M bydefining the flow of niograms between blocks 918 a-918M within theservice 916. More specifically, communication between block instanceswithin the service 916 is managed by the block router 921 via aBlockrouter.notifySignals( ) method and a processSignals( ) method. TheBlockrouter.notifySignals( ) call is issued by a block 918 that hasoutput ready. The Blockrouter.notifySignals( ) method identifies thesource block and contains the niogram(s) forming the output. Forexample, the Blockrouter.notifySignals( ) may be implemented asBlockrouter.notifySignals(source block identifier, niogram(s)).

In the current embodiment, this call is made whenever a block 918 withinthe service 916 has output and the block need not be aware of theservice at all. In other words, the block 918 receives input, processes,the input, calls Blockrouter.notifySignals( ), and is done without evenknowing that it is part of a service. In other embodiments, the block918 may know the service 916 of which it is a part, which enables theblock 918 to notify the signal to the particular service 916. Althoughthe output itself is passed as a parameter in the method call in thepresent embodiment, it is understood that other processes may be used totransfer the output. For example, a pointer to the output may be passedrather than the output itself.

When Blockrouter.notifySignals( ) is invoked, the block router 921 looksup the source block 918 in the routing table to determine thedestination block(s) 918 to which the output should be directed. Theblock router 921 then calls processSignals( ) on each of the next blocksin succession. The processSignals( ) method identifies the destinationblock and contains the niogram(s) to be processed (e.g., the niogramsthat were the output of the source block). For example, theprocessSignals( ) method may be implemented asprocessSignals(destination block identifier, niogram(s)). Although theniogram(s) themselves are passed as a parameter in the method call inthe present embodiment, it is understood that other processes may beused to transfer the niogram(s). For example, a pointer to theniogram(s) may be passed rather than the niogram(s) themselves. Theblock router 921 may, with each call for processSignals( ), launch thecalled block instance in a new thread of the service process.

In the present example, the blocks 918 operate asynchronously (i.e.,each block 918 executes independently of other blocks). When a block 918publishes a niogram to another block 918, the receiving block executesimmediately. This means that there is no buffering of niograms betweenblocks 918 except as needed (e.g., buffering may occur if a thread poolis used and there is no currently available thread for the receivingblock) and data passes through the service 916 as quickly as the blocks918 can process the data. The processing speed for a given block 918 maydepend on the complexity of the block's instructions, as well as onfactors outside of a block's control, such as the speed of the device'sprocessor and the amount of processor time allocated to the block'sthread.

Services 916 are started and stopped by commands issued through aservice API. When a service 916 receives the start command, it “starts”all blocks 918 contained by the service 916. Similarly, when a service916 receives the stop command, it stops all blocks 918 contained by theservice 916. It is noted that the blocks 918 may not actually be“started,” but simply notified that the service 916 encapsulating themhas been started. If desired, the blocks 918 can then use thenotification hook to execute some functionality (e.g., a block 918 thatpolls an external API and needs to know when to start polling could usethe notification as the polling trigger).

In some embodiments, stopping a service 916 may result in the loss ofany information (e.g., the local state) in any corresponding blockinstances. For example, in the current example that uses Python objectsfor block instances, block objects can be wiped out by calling theBlockinstance.destroy( ) method. In other embodiments, it may bedesirable to maintain the local state after a service 916 is stopped.For example, instead of wiping out the local state of instantiatedblocks when a service 916 is stopped, the service 916 can instead bepaused to stop the service's execution temporarily without losingpotentially valuable data. This may be accomplished by issuing the stopcommand to all the blocks 918 in the service 916 without doing thenormally associated cleanup (e.g., without callingBlockinstance.destroy( )) and/or in other ways.

Commands are used to interact with blocks 918 and must be reachable fromoutside the blocks 918. Accordingly, how a block 918 defines and exposesa command needs to be known. For example, a block 918 may be used toprovide SMS functionality. To accomplish this, the block 918 may beconfigured to expose a command “sendSMS.” For the block 918 to functionwithin the NIO platform 900, the method for actually sending an SMSwould be written in the block 918 in executable instructions, and thenthe method would have to be declared as a command to make it reachablethrough, for example, a REST API. A command to call the method may beformatted in various ways depending on the particular implementation ofthe block structure, such as a name (e.g., the block's method name),title (e.g., a descriptive name), and arguments. It is noted that thismay be the same command structure used to start/stop services.

As previously described, the niogram is the primary mechanism forintra-service data transmission (e.g., between blocks/block groups). Allblocks 918 may accept and emit generic niograms of a base niogram class.The base niogram class generally has no required fields and does notrequire validation. The base niogram class simply exposes a way to addor remove attributes, and serialize/de-serialize the niogram intodifferent forms (e.g., JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)). In thepresent example, an instance of the base niogram can add or removeattributes freely.

The base niogram can be subclassed for use in a block 918. However, inthe present embodiment, the NIO platform 900 will not maintain anyawareness of these subclasses and other blocks 918 will expect baseniograms. In general, blocks 918 should not rely on processing asub-class of the base niogram unless it is mandatory. Using only thebase niogram class ensures that blocks 918 can be reused in differentservices with minimal impact. Filtering of blocks 918 should generallybe done via a type attribute of the niogram, rather than the class type.Accordingly, while the generic niogram class can be extended forconvenience and/or encapsulation, only the attributes of an incomingniogram should be taken into account by a receiving block 918.

Another benefit of using the base class of niograms is to enablereal-time cross referencing. For example, a niogram could start outcontaining data from one source and then have its information enrichedusing data from another source. The resulting niogram would containinformation from both sources, rather than having to carry aroundmultiple niogram types.

With continued reference to FIG. 9B, the modules 904 are modulescontaining predefined code that the NIO platform 900 may use itself andthat blocks 918 may also use. The modules 904 may provide functionalitydefined with respect to each module, such as a logging module 938, asecurity module 940, a threading module 942, a communication module 944,a scheduler module 946, a persistence module 948, and/or a web servermodule 950. Some or all of the modules 904 are designed so that they canbe exchanged for different implementations of the same functionalitywithout affecting existing blocks or platform functionality. A role ofthe modules 904 within the NIO platform 900 is to provide swappablefunctionality for different platform instances without affecting theblocks 918 and the core 906. The modules 904 provide APIs that can becalled by blocks 918 and the core 906. The result of the API call isdefined by the functionality of the called module 904.

The functionality defined in the modules 904 spans an entire platforminstance. Accordingly, when the functionality within a module 904 ischanged, the entire platform instance will use the new version of themodule. For example, if the logging module 938 is changed to log to aremote database instead of a local file, all logging calls (in the core906 and in the services 916) will start logging accordingly. However,such changes may require a platform instance restart to take effect.

The modules 904 support the ability of the NIO platform 900 to runwithin different environments without having to modify the core designof the NIO platform 900. For example, if a particular environment doesnot support some needed feature, the module 904 responsible for thatfeature can be reconfigured or replaced with functionality that issupported by the environment. Accordingly, by changing modules 904 asneeded, platform instances may be run in varied environments that havedifferent needs.

Depending on the functionality of the particular module 904, a module904 may need to initialize its functionality based on variable data. Forexample, the logging module 938 may need a file name where theinformation is saved, while the communication module 944 may need a listof current publishers in the platform instance. In order to accomplishthis, both the core 906 and the services 916 initialize the modules 904by calling a setup method and passing context information with thisdata.

For services 916, the module's initialization data may come directly orindirectly as part of the service's initialization data. For example,the data may be provided indirectly by providing the name of theconfiguration file where the data for the module 904 resides. For thecore 906, the data may reside in a system wide configuration file thatcan be read during start up and then used for initializing the module904.

The logging module 938 is used to provide logging functionality and,like all of the modules 904, may provide a customized solution or mayuse an existing solution, such as Python's built-in logging module. Atinitialization, the logging module 938 receives parameters detailingadapters that are active in the NIO platform 900, which may includeadapters for logging to a local file, for logging to a shared database(e.g., MySQL), and/or for creating a niogram and publishing the niogramthrough the NIO platform 900. In the present example, the logging module938 exposes two classes, one for logging and one to retrieve loggedinformation. This enables the core 906 and services 916, which may beseparate processes, to log to a single environment.

The security module 940 enables blocks 918 to interface with internal orexternal security applications. In the present example, the securitymodule 940 provides an authentication method and an authorizationmethod, both of which may be overridden. The authentication methodenables the security module 940 to authenticate a user. This method cantake arguments and will return an instance of the SecureUser class (seebelow). Examples of authentication include username/password, OAuthSecure Token, and MAC Address. The authorization method enables aconsumer of the security module 940 to be able to authorize anauthenticated user (e.g., a SecureUser) against a certain set ofSecureTasks. The existing forms of authentication include access controllists, role based security, and User/Group/Other Permissions (e.g.,755). This enables the blocks 918 to use the same securityimplementation as the core 906 without being concerned about how thesecurity is actually implemented.

In addition to overriding the methods of the security module 940, asecure implementation may also override two objects that can be secure,which are SecureUser and SecureTask. SecureUser is a class thatrepresents a user. There are no required fields and these objects willbe returned by the authentication method. When implementing the securitymodule 940, this class should be overridden to map to users in thesecure system. SecureTask is a class that represents something to bedone. In general, a SecureUser either can or cannot perform aSecureTask. These tasks will be passed to the authentication method andSecureUsers will be authenticated against them. The security module 940should override this class with tasks that it wishes to secure.

The threading module 942 provides threading support and may provide oneor more threading options. For example, two threading modules may beavailable, with non-native threading used only when needed. In thepresent embodiment, the main NIO platform process may not need anythread customization and can run under Python's regular threadingmodule. Services 916 and blocks 918, however, may benefit from having alarge number of light threads and the ability to launch asynchronoustasks in a short amount of time. Accordingly, the NIO platform 900 canprovide a wrapper for Python's threading functionality with theobjective of making it transparent to a developer and allowing switchingfrom one threading mode to another. The threading module that will be ineffect for a particular service 916 may be specified through a setting.

The communication module 944 enables services 916 within a platform tosubscribe and publish niograms. The niograms can be transported withinthe platform instance or between platform instances. The communicationmodule 944 may use ZeroMQ or a similar library as a publish andsubscribe mechanism. It is noted that queuing may occur between services916 if needed and such queuing may be handled by the communicationmodule 944 via ZeroMQ or another selected library.

The communication module 944 exposes two classes, a publisher class anda subscriber class. Each class may include a list of arguments that aretreated as flags, and a subscriber matches a publisher when all flagsare matched. All functionality handling the subscription/publicationmechanism is controlled within the individual communication module 944that the NIO platform 900 is running. When a service 916 wants topublish, it simply publishes to the communication module 944 and thecommunication module 944 determines where the published niograms willgo.

For example, assume there are four publishers A-D as follows: (A)publisher (type=RFID, source=Dock Door); (B) publisher (type=RFID,source-Conveyor); (C) publisher (type=BarCode, source=Conveyor); and (D)publisher (type=RFID, source=Shelf). A subscriber may designate thepublishers to which it is subscribing as follows. A subscriber(type=[RFID]) would receive publications from A, B, and D. A subscriber(type=[RFID], source=[Dock Door, Conveyor]) would receive publicationsfrom A and B. A subscriber (source=[Conveyor]) would receivepublications from B and C.

The scheduler module 946 facilitates the execution of tasks at scheduledintervals or at a single point in the future. The scheduler module 946may be included in the NIO platform 900 so that the scheduler can bereplaced if issues arise with a particular scheduler in a givenenvironment. The scheduler module 946 operates via instances of a “job”class, which will be needed only to cancel the job at the end. Theimplementation of the scheduler module 946 is responsible forinitializing and terminating the underlying scheduler.

The persistence module 948 enables blocks 918 and core components to“persist” certain information relevant to them that will survive througha platform instance restart. The persistence module 948 can choose tosave wherever and however it wants (e.g., in a flat text file or a localdatabase). It exposes several methods that can be used within a block918 to access this functionality, such as save, load, and clear.

The web server module 950 enables services 916 and/or blocks 918 toexpose a web server for interacting on an isolated port. In addition,the core 906 may use the web server module 950 to expose a web serverthat hosts the API 908. The web server module 950 provides an interfacefor each to do so using several methods, such as open, handle, andclose. The web server module 950 may use a library such as the CherryPylibrary in Python. This removes the core dependency of CherryPy andallows block writers to utilize the same web server functionality as thecore 906. This not only allows other libraries to be substituted, butalso allows block writers to easily expose web servers without having toworry about conflicting with the core's API 908.

Services 916, which operate as different processes in the presentexample, can ease the load on the core process by receiving datadirectly through their own web server. Without this, blocks/services usecommands to receive data through HTTP, but those commands are regulatedand passed through the core 906. By using the web server module 950, theblocks 918 can listen directly to a port for incoming HTTP requests andhandle the requests accordingly without loading the core process.

In the present example, the core 906 includes an API 908, a servicemanager 914, and a configuration manager 910. The configuration manager910 includes configurations 911, a loader 952, and discoveryfunctionality 954, which may be part of the loader 952 in someembodiments. In other embodiments, the configuration manager 910 may notexist as a component, but the loader/discovery functionality and theconfigurations may continue to exist within the core 906 (e.g., as partof the service manager 914 or elsewhere). The core 906 may also includecore components 912 in some embodiments. The core 906 maintains theservices 916 provided by the NIO platform 900. The core 906 is notdirectly exposed to the service components 902 and can use the modules904.

The API 908 represents multiple APIs, but it is understood that blocks918 and block groups may be able to receive and/or send informationwithout passing through the API 908 in the core 906. For example, ablock may be able to send and receive SMS messages without using the API908. It is understood that many different APIs and API calls may bedefined, and that the examples described below are only for the purposeof illustrating how various components of the NIO platform 900 may beaccessed and managed. In the present example, the API 908 includes ablock API, a block configuration API, a command API, a mechanism forproviding custom APIs, and a service API.

The block API enables a user to alter the state of the blocks 918 loadedin the NIO platform 900. For example, the block API enables a user toadd, reload, and/or remove blocks 918 without having to restart theinstance in which the blocks 918 are located. For purposes of example,the block API follows the create, read, update, delete (CRUD) model,exposing four methods to interact with blocks 918, as well as aninstances endpoint to interact with a block's instances.

A create method adds a new block 918 to an instance and may beaccomplished in multiple ways. For example, a file, module, and/orpackage may be attached for use as the block 918, a file name where theblock code is loaded may be referenced, a remotely hosted block may bereferenced, and/or a class may be specified and the NIO platform 900 maybe configured to locate and retrieve the class's code.

A read method returns a list of blocks 918 and therefore exposes thefunctionality of the NIO platform 900. In addition to the list of blocks918, the read method may return other block meta information, such asversion, dependencies, and install time.

An update method refreshes a block 918 in the NIO platform 900. This mayinclude reloading the block's code, re-validating, and updatingreferences. The update method may not update the block code for blockinstances that are currently in running services 916. In such cases, theservice 916 may have to be restarted to realize the block code. In otherembodiments, a block instance may be updated without having to restartthe service 916.

A delete method enables a block 918 to be deleted from the NIO platform900. Any block instances of the block 918 will also be deleted. Anyblocks 918 that are in running services 916 will continue to run, butwhen the service 916 is restarted, an error will be thrown and theservice 916 will not be able to start unless the service 916 is updatedto reflect the deletion.

An instances method enables interaction with the instances of a block918. For example, “instances” may be viewed as a custom endpoint that isessentially an alias for /instances?block=BlockName. The instancesmethod allows a user to modify the block instances associated with agiven block 918. This will be discussed in greater detail below withrespect to the block instance API.

The block configuration API enables a user to alter the state of theblock instances loaded in the NIO platform 900. Because blockconfigurations are configured instances of blocks 918, some API callscan happen through the previously described block API. For purposes ofexample, the block configuration API follows the CRUD model, but mayalso define some alternative methods.

A create method adds a new block configuration. To create a blockconfiguration, a relevant block 918 must exist for the configuration. Asa result, configuration creation can go through the specified block'sAPI endpoint within the block API. Configuration creation can also gothrough the NIO platform's block configuration API as long as a validblock 918 is specified.

A read method returns a list of block configurations, although there maybe multiple ways to see the block configurations that are configuredwithin the NIO platform 900. For example, by hitting the main blockconfigurations endpoint, all configurations in the NIO platform 900 willbe returned. Further refinement can be achieved by specifying a blockname as a parameter or issuing the GET to the block configuration'sendpoint. The GET calls will return the configuration's name as well asthe configuration defined within the block 918.

An update method updates the configuration of a block configuration onthe NIO platform 900. Blocks 918 that are part of a currently runningservice 916 will not have their configuration updates realized until theservice 916 is restarted.

A delete method enables a block configuration to be deleted from the NIOplatform 900. This removes a block configuration from the NIO platform900, but not the block 918 itself. If the block 918 is part of a runningservice 916, the service 916 will continue to run with the originalblock code. When the service 916 is restarted, an error will be thrownindicating the block 918 cannot be found.

The command API enables a user to interact with previously describedcommand handlers that have been defined to expose commands for blocks918. Services 916 and blocks 918 can both be commanded. However, in thepresent embodiment, because blocks 918 do not stand alone but existwithin a service 916, the caller must go through the service 916 tocommand a block 918. Depending on the particular implementation, acommand may be called in many different ways, including hypertexttransfer protocol (HTTP) methods such as GET and POST. The block 918being called should define the proper handling for each type of allowedcall.

A command method can be used to command a block 918 inside a service916. For example, the method may be structuredas/services/ServiceName/BlockAlias/commandName. The root of this APIcall is the service 916, since the block 918 inside of that service 916is what will be commanded. If the specified service 916 does not exist,an error will be thrown. The next component in the method is theBlockAlias. By default, this will be the block configuration name.However, if a service builder wishes to include more than one of thesame blocks 918 within a service 916, a block alias can be defined foreach configuration of that block 918. The final component is the commandname. This command must be a valid command as defined by the block 918connected to BlockAlias.

The mechanism for defining custom APIs leverages the ability of blocks918 to define custom command handlers. Because of this, custom APIs canbe written as blocks 918 and implemented as block configurations withina service 916. For example, a service builder can drop an API block 918into any point in a service 916. The API block 918 does not affect theoperation of the service 916, but does provide a new API endpoint thatcan be used to leverage attributes of the service 916 at the point wherethe block 918 is inserted.

The service API enables a user to alter the state of the services 916 inthe NIO platform 900. For purposes of example, the service API followsthe CRUD model, as well as a command model that allows a user tostart/stop a service 916.

A create method adds a new service 916 to the NIO platform 900. Thespecification of the service 916 (e.g., blocks and block mappings) maybe included in the body of the call.

A read method returns a list of services 916 and their configuration.This information may include the blocks 918 within a service 916, thestate of the service 916 (e.g., running or stopped), and any otherconfiguration options specified when the service 916 was created.

An update method updates a service's configuration. If the service 916is currently running, the configuration update will be accepted, but thechanges will not be realized until the service 916 is restarted.

A delete method removes a service 916 from the NIO platform 900. If theservice 916 is currently running, this call will return an error. Theservice 916 should be stopped before being deleted.

A command method is used to start or stop a service 916. If a problemexists with the configuration of a service 916 (e.g., there arenon-existent blocks 918, block instances with an invalid block 918,and/or other validation issues), the call will return an error.

With continued reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, in the present embodiment,the configuration manager 910 manages configurations 911 for the currentinstance of the NIO platform 900, loads services 916 and blocks 918 forinspection if needed, and performs auto-discovery. Ideally, the core 902has no dependency on its functionality (e.g., the blocks 918) or itsconfiguration (e.g., the block instances and services 916). This lack ofdependency enables the use of relocatable instance configurations, suchas one or more directories specified by a user. Then, when an instanceof the NIO platform 900 is launched, the location of the instanceconfiguration will be identified and the NIO platform 900 will load theinstance's blocks 918, services 916, and other needed components fromthat location. This enables a user to version control theirconfigurations, create multiple configurations on the same machine, andeasily share and inspect their configurations.

Configurations may be represented within the NIO platform 900 in manydifferent ways. For example, block instances and services 916 may useJSON flat files, SQLite databases, and/or zip files, while blocks 918may use python files or python module directories. It is understood thatthese are merely examples and that many different formats may be used torepresent configuration information.

The NIO platform 900 may include different types of configurationsdepending on what part of the NIO platform 900 is being described.Examples include a core configuration, a platform configuration, a corecomponents configuration, a service configuration, and a blockconfiguration. It is understood that these configurations may be storedas separate files or may be combined. Furthermore, any of theseconfigurations may be divided into multiple configurations or combinedin many different ways.

The core configuration is directed to settings related to the core 906.These values may be private to the core 906 and visible to the services902. The platform configuration is directed to settings for the entireNIO platform 900. These include all settings that are visible to thecore 906 and to the services 902. The core components configuration isdirected to settings related to a specific core component. The serviceconfiguration is directed to settings related to a specific service 916.The block configuration is directed to settings related to a specificblock 918.

The NIO platform 900 may use a configuration data file that details whatis included in the NIO platform 900. This data file may be differentfrom what is actually inside the configuration directory. For example,if a user copies a block file into a block directory, the block file maynot be picked up by an instance until the block file is loaded via theblock API. At this point, the instance may load that block 918 into theconfiguration data file. Similarly, block instance configurations may becopied to the directory, but may not be recognized until the instance isrestarted. In other embodiments, an instance restart may not be neededin order for the block instance configurations to be recognized.

In some embodiments, the data may reside at a remote location (e.g., ina remote database or a data structure server), which allows definitionsto be shared among different platform instances. In such embodiments,the handler to use in loading a particular configuration may bespecified through a platform setting. The NIO platform 900 would theninstantiate the specified handler and use it to fetch the instanceconfiguration. One example of an instance configuration directory forthe NIO platform 900 is illustrated below, with comments in parentheses.

/ (The root of the configuration, which can be any directory on adevice.) /blocks/ (A directory containing the blocks in the instance.)/blocks/”specific block name”/ (An example of a directory block.)/blocks/blockGroup.py /instances/ (A directory containing the blockinstances in the instance.) /instances/”specific block name”.db (Anexample where the blocks are a database.) /instances/blockGroup/ (Anexample where the blocks are grouped into a folder.)/instances/blockGroup/BigBlockGroup.json/instances/blockGroup/LittleBlockGroup.json /services/ (A directorycontaining the services in the instance.)/services/EmailNotificationService.json /services/WeatherSMSService.dbconfig.db (A set of data representing what is configured in theinstance.)

With continued reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the core components 912 aremodules containing predefined code that the NIO platform 900 may use.The core components 912 provide functionality to the NIO platform 900and may include modules such as a monitoring module 956, a messagingmodule 958, a communication manager module 960, and/or an instancedistribution module 962.

The core components 912 are somewhat different from core functionalityprovided by the configuration manager 910 and service manager 914. Whilecore functionality is generally hidden from block writers and requiredfor operation of the NIO platform 900, core components 912 are swappablecomponents (similar to the modules 904) that are positioned within thecore 906 and provide functions usable by the core 906. Like the corefunctionality, the core components 912 are hidden from block writers(unlike the modules 904). Unlike the core functionality, the corecomponents 912 are not required for the NIO platform 900 to run.However, it is understood that certain implementations of the NIOplatform 900 may rely on the core components 912 due to the platform'sconfiguration, in which case the functionality of one or more of thecore components 912 would be needed to provide the desiredfunctionality. In other words, the NIO platform 900 might run withoutthe needed core components 912, but would be unable to accomplishcertain tasks. In other embodiments, the NIO platform 900 may not startwithout the needed core components 912.

With additional reference to FIG. 10, one embodiment of an environment1000 that is internal to the NIO platform 900 illustrates thecommunication manager module 960 serving as a broker for all processesthat participate in publish/subscribe operations. To accomplish this,the communication manager module 960 interacts with the previouslydescribed communication module 944. When a service 916 containingpublishing/subscribing functionality is launched, the communicationmanager module 960 assigns two ports to the service 916. One port is forsubscribing to management data and the other port is for publishingmanagement data. The communication module 944 that is being used by theservice 916 tracks these ports for the service.

The communication manager module 960 subscribes to the publisher in theservice 916 (e.g., the communication module 944 corresponding to theservice). When the communication manager module 960 receives a messagefrom the service 916, the communication manager module 960 broadcaststhe message to existing services. This aids in maintaining asynchronized state among all services 916 regarding the publishers inthe NIO platform 900. In some embodiments where multiple platforminstances are running concurrently, the communication manager modules960 of the different platform instances may share an internal channel toaid in communications among the various instances. In other embodimentswhere multiple platform instances are running concurrently, onecommunication manager module 960 may act as a broker for the othercommunication manager modules.

The basic communication process provided by the communication module 944and the communication manager module 960 is illustrated in FIG. 10. Forpurposes of illustration, each step is labeled in FIG. 10 as a number ina circle. In step 1, the communication manager module 960 populates aservice context 1002 received from the service manager 914 with channelinformation for a new service 916 a. This includes the subscribe/publishports introduced previously. In step 2, the service manager 914 passesthe context with the channel information during the initialization ofthe new service 916 a.

In step 3, the new service's communication manager 916 a opens apublisher via the communication module 944 a that is being used by theservice 916 a and provides its own information to the communicationmanager module 960. The new service's communication module 944 a alsoopens a subscriber for receiving information about other services. Instep 4, the communication manager module 960 broadcasts the publisherinformation received in step 3 to the other services, such as a service916 b. In step 5, the other service 916 b uses its communication module944 b to open a subscriber to the publisher of the new service 916 a.The service 916 b can then receive communications to which it issubscribed directly from the service 916 b.

It is understood that the described communication process may beaccomplished in many different ways. For example, while the presentembodiment illustrates a processes that uses the communication managermodule 960 to aid in establishing direct communications between thecommunication modules 944 a and 944 b, the communication manager module960 may continue to receive and broadcast messages published by thecommunication modules 944 a and 944 b. In other embodiments, thecommunication modules 944 a and 944 b may not communicate directly andmay subscribe and publish only to the communication manager module 960.

Referring again to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the instance distribution module 962may be used when more than one platform instance is sharing the services916. For example, in a distributed system, where multiple platforminstances work together with the purpose of sharing the load of runningintended services 916, information about the platform instancescurrently in the distributed system has to be maintained. Thisinformation enables each platform instance in the distributed system tobe able to find out if the other instances are running. For example,each platform instance may ping the other instances and, when aninstance is detected to be non-functioning, may remove any existingdependencies to the non-functioning instance.

The instance distribution module 962 maintains a list of other platforminstances in the distributed system, as well as metadata about eachplatform instance (e.g., how long each instance has been running, howmany services 916 are running in each instance, communication ports,and/or other information). In some embodiments, an instance distributionmodule 962 will reside on every platform instance within the distributedsystem and self-update when platform instances are added or removed.Whenever this list is updated, relevant information will be publishedthrough the communication module 944 for blocks and core components toconsume.

To accomplish this, the instance distribution module 962 in eachplatform instance subscribes to the instance distribution module 962 ineach of the other platform instances. When the instance distributionmodule 962 of an instance detects a change (e.g., a new instance or adead instance), it publishes that relevant information to the remaininginstance distribution modules 962. The instance distribution modules 962receiving this information then update their respective listsaccordingly. Publishing may be centralized or distributed.

Because load balancing tends to be dependent on the way services 916 arebuilt and the metrics of each service 916 (e.g., throughput), the actualbalancing process of launching new platform instances and tearing downplatform instances may be performed within a service 916. This placesthe responsibility of load balancing on the services 916. In otherembodiments, the core 906 may take a larger role in load balancing.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, the messaging module 958 provides a wayfor external systems to send and receive information from the NIOplatform 900. It is understood that such communications may beaccomplished in many different ways and may vary depending on theimplementation of a particular external system. For example, someexternal systems may inquire about the data available and formulate arequest based on the response, while other external systems may knowexactly what data to request and what data to provide. In someembodiments, the messaging module 958 may be replaced by using commandsin conjunction with the web server module 950.

FIG. 11A illustrates an embodiment where an external system 1102inquires about the data available and formulates a request based on theresponse. For purposes of illustration, each step is labeled in FIG. 11Aas a number in a circle. An inquiry message (e.g., a request) from theexternal system 1102 is received by the messaging module 958 via theREST interface 964/API 908 in step 1. The messaging module 958 acceptsthe inquiry, adds and/or registers the service, and sends the service'sinformation (e.g., a uniform resource locator (URL)) to the externalsystem 1102 in step 2. The external system 1102 uses the receivedinformation to send a message (e.g., an HTTP call) to the servicemanager 914 in step 3. The service manager 914 then places the messagein the channel for publication to the service 916 in step 4.

FIG. 11B illustrates an embodiment where an external system 1104 knowsexactly what data to request and what data to provide. For purposes ofillustration, each step is labeled in FIG. 11B as a number in a circle.A request from the external system 1104 is received by the messagingmodule 958 via the REST interface 964/API 908 in step 1. The messagingmodule 958 forwards the request to an external data receiver service(which may be part of or separate from the service manager 914) in step2. The service manager 914 processes the call to publish a specificmessage to the service 916 in step 3.

With continued reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the service manager 914handles the interaction of the core 906 with the services 916 running ina platform instance. The service manager 914 handles starting andstopping services 916, and may also manage a service's incoming commands(e.g., commands received via the REST interface 964/API 908). Theservice manager 914 may use functionality provided by the modules 904and core components 912. The service manager 914 may be accessed fromoutside the NIO platform 900 via the API 908.

Referring to FIG. 12, one embodiment of an environment 1200 that isinternal to the NIO platform 900 illustrates a service 916 and the core906. As previously described, the service process handles communicationswith the service manager 914, such as commands received through the RESTAPI 908. The block router 921 handles intra-service communicationsbetween the blocks 918 via the corresponding block controllers 922 (inembodiments where the block controllers 922 are present). The loader 952and discovery functionality 954 may be used by the service manager 914to load service and/or block classes for discovery purposes. Externalsources/destinations 1202 and 1204 can communicate via blocks 918 and/orvia the REST API 908.

Referring to FIG. 13, one embodiment of an environment 1300 that isinternal to the NIO platform 900 illustrates various components of theNIO platform 900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B interacting to launch a platforminstance and a service 916. For purposes of illustration, each step islabeled in FIG. 13 as a number in a circle.

After a new core process 906 is launched, the core process accesses theconfiguration manager 910 and retrieves one or more configurations 911in step 1. The configuration provides information as to which, if any,modules 904 and core components 912 are available within the NIOplatform 900. The core process 906 then, for each module 904 that isavailable, creates and initializes the module 904 for use in step 2. Instep 3, the core process 906, for each core component 912 that isavailable, creates and initializes the core component 912.

In step 4, the service manager 914 is started. In step 5, the servicemanager 914 accesses the service configuration information via theconfiguration manager 910. In step 6, the service manager 914 then callsthe loader 952/discovery functionality 954 to discover all the services916 and blocks 918 available in the NIO platform 900. The loader 952 mayaccess a repository 1302 in which the services 916 and blocks 918 arestored and, if needed, load each service 916 and/or block 918 to examinethem and discover their characteristics. This process may includeexamining each block 918 to see if the block requires a particularmodule. For example, a block 918 may explicitly define the module(s)that it needs or the loader may examine the block's code to determine ifit uses any modules.

In step 7, for each service 916 configured to be auto-started, theservice manager 914 launches the service 916 with the configurationinformation corresponding to that service. Although not shown, theservice manager 914 may also expose the handling for the REST interface964/API 908 through the web server module 950 during this process.

Referring to FIG. 14, a method 1400 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the NIO platform 900 of FIGS. 9A and 9Bwhen an instance of the platform is launched. In the present example, acore process has been launched and is running prior to step 1402, but nomodules or services have yet been launched. The method 1400 is a moredetailed embodiment of a process that may occur during steps 1-4 of FIG.13.

In step 1402, the core process accesses the configuration informationand, in step 1404, uses the configuration information to identify theavailable modules 904 and/or core components 912. Step 1404 may use theloader 952/discovery functionality 954 if needed during the discoveryprocess of step 1404, in which case at least part of step 1412 would beexecuted prior to step 1404. In step 1406, the core process creates acontext to store the information for the various modules.

In step 1408, the core process starts and configures each availablemodule 904. It is noted that a module 904 may be instantiated prior tostep 1408 or when started, but the configuration occurs when each moduleis started. During configuration, the configuration information and/orcontext is passed to the module 904 being configured. The module 904then updates the context with its own information, such as informationthat may be needed by the core process and/or another of the modules 904to call the current module.

In step 1410, the core process starts and configures each available corecomponent 912. It is noted that a core component 912 may be instantiatedprior to step 1408 or when started, but the configuration occurs wheneach module is started. During configuration, the configurationinformation and/or context is passed to the core component 912 beingconfigured. The core component 912 then updates the context with its owninformation, such as information that may be needed by the core process,one of the modules 904, and/or another of the core components 912 tocall the current module.

It is noted that the current embodiment starts the modules 904 beforestarting the core components 912. As the modules 904 cannot use the corecomponents 912, but the core components 912 can use the modules 904,this order of steps enables the modules 904 to update the context beforethe context is passed to the core components 912. As the modules 904have no need for the context from the core components 912, this is amore efficient process. However, in other embodiments, the steps may bereversed or even mixed, with modules 904 and core components 912 beingstarted in some other order. In such embodiments, all modules mayreceive the context for all other modules.

In step 1412, the core process starts and configures other corecomponents, such as the service manager 914 and the loader 952/discoveryfunctionality 954. The service manager 914 may then start services, asdescribed in FIG. 15.

Referring to FIG. 15, a method 1500 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the NIO platform 900 of FIGS. 9A and 9Bafter the service manager 914 is started and configured by the coreprocess. In the present example, the modules 904 and core components 912have been launched and a context exists with the information about thosemodules. The method 1500 is a more detailed embodiment of a process thatmay occur during steps 5-7 of FIG. 13.

In step 1502, the service manager 914 accesses the configurationinformation for the services 916 and, in step 1504, calls the loader952/discovery functionality 954 to discover the services 916 and blocks918 available to the NIO platform 900. In step 1506, the service manager914 may obtain a context (e.g., the context with the information for themodules 904 and core components 912) or may create a new context for usewith the services 916.

In step 1508, the service manager 914 starts and configures eachavailable service 916 that is configured to auto-start. It is noted thata service 916 may be instantiated prior to step 1508 or when started,but the configuration occurs when each service 916 is started in thepresent embodiment. In other embodiments, some or all of theconfiguration may occur when the service 916 is instantiated. Duringconfiguration, the configuration information and/or context is passed tothe service 916 being configured. The service 916 then updates thecontext with its own information.

In step 1510, the service manager 914 exposes the handling for the RESTinterface 964/API 908 through the web server module 950, although thisstep may occur earlier in the method 1500. In step 1512, the servicemanager 914 waits for instructions such as stop and start commands forservices 916.

Referring to FIG. 16A, a method 1600 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by a service process of the NIO platform900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B after the corresponding service 916 is started.As stated previously, when a service 916 is started, the service contextis passed to the service process by the service manager 914.

In step 1602, the service process receives the service context. In step1604, the service process initializes any modules needed by the serviceprocess itself and modules needed by the blocks 918 used in the service916. The service process may directly use modules such as the loggingmodule 938 and the threading module 942. Some modules, like thecommunications module 944, may be used by the service process to aid ablock 918 in setting up a communications channel. Other modules may beused directly by a block 918. In step 1606, the block router 921launches the blocks 918 belonging to the service 916.

Referring to FIG. 16B, a method 1610 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by a service process of the NIO platform900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B after the corresponding service 916 is started.For example, the method 1610 may be a more detailed embodiment of step1606 of FIG. 16A and may occur for each block 918. In step 1612, theblock 918 is initialized to create a block instance. In step 1618, theblock instance is configured, which may include passing information suchas module information needed by the block instance to use the module.

In step 1616, the block instance is started. As previously described,starting a block instance may include notifying the block instance thatthe corresponding service 916 has been started. If configured to do so,the block instance can then execute instructions using the notificationas a trigger. Without this notification, the block instance may remainidle until called by processSignals( ).

Referring to FIG. 16C, a method 1620 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the block router 921 of the NIO platform900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B. In step 1622, the block router 921 receives anoutput notification from a block 918. In step 1624, the block router 921looks up the next block(s) in the routing table and, in step 1626, callsthe next block(s) to process the output. As described previously, thisprocess may involve calls such as Blockrouter.notifySignals( ) andprocessSignals( ).

As described previously, due to the asynchronous nature of the blocks918, some or all of the blocks 918 in the service 916 can processniograms concurrently. Furthermore, a single block 918 may processmultiple niograms concurrently by using threading to execute the block'sfunctionality in multiple concurrent threads. The method 1620 does notneed to be changed for this process, as each processSignals( ) calllaunches a new thread. In the present example, the thread may spawn witha target of block.processSignals( ). If needed, the blocks 918 mayinclude instructions for acquiring and releasing locks to preventproblems between concurrently executing threads. These instructions maybe included on a block by block basis, as race conditions or otherthread collision issues may not be a concern for some blocks.

Referring to FIG. 16D, a method 1630 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the block router 921 of the NIO platform900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B. In step 1632, the block router 921 receives amessage. The message may be from a block 918 and intended for the RESTAPI 908/964, or may be from the REST API and directed to the block. Instep 1634, the block router 921 passes the message on to the destination(e.g., via the REST API 908/964, by publishing the message to a channel,or via another transfer mechanism).

Referring to FIG. 16E, a method 1640 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by a block 918 of the NIO platform 900 ofFIGS. 9A and 9B. In step 1642, the block 918 receives one or moresignals and/or niograms. The block 918 may receive signals if the blockis directly coupled to an external source and may receive niograms fromanother block (directly or via the block router 921 depending on theparticular implementation). It is understood that receiving includesactive processes through which the block 918 may obtain data, such aspulling data from an external source.

In step 1644, the block 918 performs processing based on the block'sinternal instructions. As described previously, such instructions mayrange from simple to complex, depending on the particular configurationof the block 918. In step 1646, once the processing of step 1644produces an output, the block 918 may issue a notification that there isoutput (e.g., by notifying the block router 921) and/or may send theoutput directly to an external source, depending on the block's internalinstructions.

Referring again to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the NIO platform 900 includes a RESTinterface 964 that may be part of the API 908. The REST interface 964aids in communicating with external tools and systems, such as a console972, enterprise monitoring tools 974, enterprise applications 976, andexternal devices 978 (e.g., mobile devices, servers, databases,machinery, manufacturing equipment, and/or any other device, system,and/or application with which the NIO platform 900 is configured tocommunicate).

The NIO platform 900 may use a runtime environment 966 for a particularlanguage (e.g., Python) and also interacts with an operating system 968on whatever device is running the NIO platform 900.

Referring to FIG. 17, one embodiment of an environment 1700 illustratesa user's perspective of the NIO platform 900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B withexternal devices, systems, and applications 1706. For example, theexternal devices, systems, and applications 1706 may be similar oridentical to the external source(s)/destination(s) 132 of FIGS. 1E-1Gand 1I.

From the user's perspective, much of the core's functionality (notshown) is hidden. The user has access to some components of the NIOplatform 900 from external systems and applications 1706 via the RESTAPI 908, 964. The external devices, systems, and applications 1706 mayinclude mobile devices 1708, enterprise applications 1710, anadministration console 1712 for the NIO platform 900, and/or any otherexternal systems and applications 1714 that may access the NIO platform900 via the REST API.

Using the external devices, systems, and applications 1706, the user canissue commands 1704 (e.g., start and stop commands) to services 916,which in turn either process or stop processing niograms 1702. Asdescribed above, the services 916 use blocks 918, which may receiveinformation from and send information to various external devices,systems, and applications 1706. The external devices, systems, andapplications 1706 may serve as signal sources that produce signals usingsensors (e.g., motion sensors, vibration sensors, thermal sensors,electromagnetic sensors, and/or any other type of sensor) 1716, the web1718. RFID 1720, voice 1722, GPS 1724, SMS 1726, RTLS 1728, PLC 1730,and/or any other analog and/or digital signal source 1732 as input forthe blocks 918. The external devices, systems, and applications 1706 mayserve as signal destinations for any type of signal produced by theblocks 918, including actuation signals. It is understood that the term“signals” as used herein includes data.

Referring to FIG. 18, a diagram 1800 illustrates one embodiment of aworkflow that runs from creation to launch of a NIO platform 1802 (whichmay be similar or identical to the NIO platform 100 of FIG. 1A, 200 ofFIG. 2A. 400 of FIG. 4A, and/or 900 of FIGS. 9A and 9B). The workflowbegins with a library 1804. The library 1804 includes core classes 206(that include the classes for any core components and modules in thepresent example), a base service class 202, a base block class 1806, andblock classes 204 that are extended from the base block class 1806. Eachextended block class 204 includes task specific code. A user can modifyand/or create code for existing blocks classes 204 in the library 1804and/or create new block classes 204 with desired task specificfunctionality. Although not shown, the base service class 202 can alsobe customized and various extended service classes may exist in thelibrary 1804.

The configuration environment 1808 enables a user to defineconfigurations for the core classes 206, the service class 202, and theblock classes 204 that have been selected from the library 1804 in orderto define the platform specific behavior of the objects that will beinstantiated from the classes within the NIO platform 1802. The NIOplatform 1802 will run the objects as defined by the architecture of theplatform itself, but the configuration process enables the user todefine various task specific operational aspects of the NIO platform1802. The operational aspects include which core components, modules,services and blocks will be run, what properties the core components,modules, services and blocks will have (as permitted by thearchitecture), and when the services will be run. This configurationprocess results in configuration files 210 that are used to configurethe objects that will be instantiated from the core classes 206, theservice class 202, and the block classes 204 by the NIO platform 1802.

In some embodiments, the configuration environment 1808 may be agraphical user interface environment that produces configuration filesthat are loaded into the NIO platform 1802. In other embodiments, theconfiguration environment 1808 may use the REST interface 908, 964(FIGS. 9A and 9B) of the NIO platform 1802 to issue configurationcommands to the NIO platform 1802. Accordingly, it is understood thatthere are various ways in which configuration information may be createdand produced for use by the NIO platform 1802.

When the NIO platform 1802 is launched, each of the core classes 206 areidentified and corresponding objects are instantiated and configuredusing the appropriate configuration files 210 for the core, corecomponents, and modules. For each service that is to be run when the NIOplatform 1802 is started, the service class 202 and corresponding blockclasses 204 are identified and the services and blocks are instantiatedand configured using the appropriate configuration files 210. The NIOplatform 1802 is then configured and begins running to perform the taskspecific functions provided by the services.

Referring to FIG. 19A, one embodiment of a service configurationenvironment 1900 within which a service 230 is configured at runtime isillustrated. Within the NIO platform 1802, each service 230 is createdusing a class file 202 and configuration information 1902. Theconfiguration information includes predefined information that existsbefore runtime (e.g., as part of the platform configuration information210 of FIG. 2A) and information that is dynamically generated atruntime. The dynamically generated information is not known until theNIO platform 1802 is launched and may include information described withrespect to the environment 1300 of FIG. 13.

The class file 202 may be used by multiple services, but theconfiguration information 1902 is unique to the particular service 230being created. The configuration information 1902 may be in a separatefile for each service 230 or may be in a larger file from which aparticular service's configuration information is extracted. At runtime,the class file 202 is instantiated and then the configurationinformation 1902 is applied to the instantiated service object.

Referring to FIG. 19B, one embodiment of a block configurationenvironment 1904 within which a block 232 is configured at runtime isillustrated. Within the NIO platform 1802, each block 232 is createdusing a class file 204 and configuration information 1906. Theconfiguration information includes predefined information that existsbefore runtime (e.g., as part of the platform configuration information210 of FIG. 2A) and information that is dynamically generated atruntime. The dynamically generated information is not known until theNIO platform 1802 is launched and may include information described withrespect to the environment 1300 of FIG. 13.

The class file 204 may be used by multiple blocks, but the configurationinformation 1906 is unique to the particular block 232 being created.The configuration information 1906 may be in a separate file for eachblock 232 or may be in a larger file from which a particular block'sconfiguration information is extracted. At runtime, the class file 204is instantiated and then the configuration information 1906 is appliedto the instantiated block object.

Referring to FIGS. 20A and 20B, embodiments of class files 204 a and 204b for blocks 232 a and 232 b (not shown), respectively, are illustrated.Within the NIO platform 1802, the service class files 202 and blockclass files 204 are based on a base service template (for services 230)and a base block template (for blocks 232), respectively. These basetemplates include NIO platform specific behavior that is inherited byany class that extends them. This means that each service class 202 andblock class 204 inherits NIO platform specific behavior that allows thecorresponding service 230 or block 232 to work within the NIO platformarchitecture. Without this NIO platform specific behavior, the classfiles 202 and 204 would not be recognized within the NIO platformarchitecture and so the corresponding services 230 and classes 232 couldnot be created. In addition to the NIO platform specific behavior, eachblock class 204 contains executable instructions that provide particulartask specific functionality.

Referring specifically to FIG. 20A, the class file 204 a for Block ClassI includes the standard base block code for the NIO platform and alsocontains custom code for connecting to an external signal source, whichis Twitter for purposes of example. Referring specifically to FIG. 20B,the class file 204 b for Block Class 2 includes the standard base blockcode for the NIO platform and also contains custom code for sendingemail.

If there is not an existing block class that contains the code needed toperform a particular task, either a new block class can be created usingthe base block template or an existing block class 204 can be modified.While service classes 202 can also include custom code, they rarely doso because the base service template generally provides all thefunctionality needed for a service 230. However, it is understood thatservice classes 202 can also be customized.

Referring to FIG. 21, one embodiment of an environment 2100 within whichconfiguration information is used to configure two blocks 232 based onthe same block class 204 in different ways is illustrated. Theconfiguration information 1906 (FIG. 19B) allows configuration of aparticular block 232 at runtime by setting the values of configurableparameters defined within the block class 204. This means that the sameblock 232 can be configured in different ways depending on the values inthe configuration information 1906 that is used to configure the block232.

The block class 204 b (as shown in FIG. 20B) contains custom code tosend any information received by the block 232 to a destination emailaddress. The code includes a configurable parameter for the destinationemail address to avoid having to change the underlying block class 204each time a different email address is used. This allows the emailaddress to be defined in the configuration information 1906, which meansthat the same block class 204 can be used to create multiple blocks thatsend their emails to different addresses.

Accordingly, in the present example, the block class 204 b is to be usedto instantiate two blocks 232 a (also referred to as Block #1) and 232 b(also referred to as Block #2). The blocks 232 a and 232 b are to beconfigured to send email to two different addresses using configurationinformation 1906 a (also referred to as Block #1 configurationinformation) and 1906 b (also referred to as Block configurationinformation #2), respectively. When the blocks 232 a and 232 b areinstantiated and configured, the two blocks will have the same emailsending functionality, but will send their emails to different emailaddresses.

Referring to FIG. 22, one embodiment of an environment 2200 within whichconfiguration information is used to configure two services 230 based onthe same service class 202 in different ways is illustrated. Theconfiguration information 1902 (FIG. 19A) allows limited configurationof a particular service 230 at runtime by defining which blocks 232 areto be executed by the service and the order of execution of the blocks232. The configuration information 1902 may also be used to set thevalues of configurable parameters defined within the service class 202.This means that the same service 230 can be configured in different waysdepending on the blocks 232, the order of execution, and the values inthe configuration information 1902 that is used to configure the service230.

In the present example, the configuration information 1902 for a service230 includes source blocks and destination blocks needed to build arouting table when the service 230 is instantiated. Because the blocks232 do not have any connection to each other except through the service230, the service 230 uses the routing table to direct information fromone block (a source block) to the next block (a destination block). Theservice 230 receives the source and destination blocks as configurationinformation after the service 230 is instantiated, so the sameunderlying service class 202 can be used for different services 230.This means that the services 230 can have different functionality basedon the particular blocks 232 and block execution order defined in theirconfiguration information 1902.

Accordingly, in the present example, a service class 202 is to be usedto instantiate two services 230 a (also referred to as Service #1) and230 b (also referred to as Service #2). The services 230 a and 230 b areto be configured using different blocks and different orders ofexecution using configuration information 1902 a (also referred to asService #1 configuration information) and 1902 b (also referred to asService configuration information #2), respectively. When the services230 a and 230 b are instantiated and configured, the two services willhave different functionality.

In the present example, the fact that a service 230 is made up of aservice class 202 and configuration information 1902 means that, priorto instantiation, there is no service class 202 that can be examined todetermine the execution order of blocks 232, or even the blocks 232 thatare to be used, within the service 230. To determine the behavior of theservice 230, the configuration information 1902 would have to beexamined.

Referring to FIG. 23, one embodiment of an environment 2300 isillustrated with a base block class 1806 that is extended to createvarious customized block classes (not shown), such as those in thelibrary 1804 of FIG. 18. The customized block classes can then beinstantiated as described previously to form various blocks 232 a-232 j.As described above, a NIO platform operates by using a service 230 toorganize the appropriate blocks 232 to perform a particular task. In thepresent example, the blocks 232 do not have any connection to each otherexcept through the service 230. This organizational structure providesbenefits such as asynchronicity in block execution, dynamic expansionand retraction of block resources in response to input changes, and theability to modify services 230 and blocks 232 without having to restartthe NIO platform 1802.

For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the environment 2300 includes a blocklibrary that contains the ten blocks 232 a-232 j. Each of the blocks 232a-232 j is built from the base block template, so each block iscompatible with the NIO platform architecture. The blocks 232 a-232 jhave no connection to each other except that all of them can operatewithin the NIO platform architecture. Each block 232 a-232 j containstask specific code that allows that block to perform a particularfunction. For example, the block 232 a connects to Twitter, the block232 b sends an email containing any information received from anotherblock, the block 232 c connects to a machine in an assembly line, theblock 232 d filters any input received from another block for one ormore defined text strings, the block 232 e sends a signal to turn offthe machine on the assembly line, and so on.

Assume that a user wants to create two different services 230 a and 230b using the ten blocks 232 a-232 j. Service 230 a is to monitor anexternal source (e.g., Twitter) Twitter for the words “company name” andsend an email to user1@companyname.com if such a tweet is detected.Service 230 b will monitor an assembly line machine for the occurrenceof certain error codes and send an email to user2@companyname.com if anerror is detected. Service 230 b will also shut the machine down if anerror is detected. Services 230 a and 230 b are to run simultaneously ona single NIO platform and perform their tasks asynchronously and in realtime without any data storage.

With additional reference to FIG. 24, one embodiment of the service 230a is illustrated using blocks from the environment 2300 of FIG. 23.Service 230 a is created by identifying the needed block classes anddefining their order of execution. For example, the block 232 a(connecting to Twitter) will be followed by the block 232 d (filteringfor “company name”), and then the block 232 b will send an email touser1@companyname if block 232 d identifies any tweets with “companyname.” The block classes include configurable parameters that allow themto be customized without needing to open the block classes and changetheir code. FIG. 24 illustrates the configured appearance of the service230 a from a functional perspective.

The routing table for the service 230 a defines the destination blockfor any output from a source block. If a block does not send output toanother block (i.e., the block 232 b), there is no entry in the routingtable. There is no source block for block 232 a because block 232 a isconnecting directly to Twitter. Table 3 illustrates an example of arouting table for the service 230 a.

TABLE 3 Service 230a Source Block Destination Block Block 232a Block232d Block 232d Block 232b

The decoupled nature of the blocks and the flexibility provided by therouting table allow the service 230 a to be modified or blocks swappedfor other blocks relatively easily. It is understood that anyconfiguration changes and any new blocks must be loaded into the NIOplatform (assuming the new blocks are not already there) and then theservice 230 a must be restarted for changes to take effect. For example,if a user wants to swap the email block 232 b for a text message block,block 232 b can be replaced with a suitably configured block for sendingtexts. If the block's name remains the same, the routing table may noteven change in some embodiments. If the block's name is different, therouting table needs to be updated, but no other change may be needed.Table 4 illustrates an example of the routing table for the service 230a with the block 232 b replaced by a text message block 232 g.

TABLE 4 Service 230a Source Block Destination Block Block 232a Block232d Block 232d Block 232g

If the user wants to send both the text message and the email, then thetext message block 232 g can be added so that it exists within theservice 230 a alongside the email block 232 b. In this case, the routingtable can be updated to include the new block 232 g as anotherdestination for source block 232 d. Table 5 illustrates an example ofthe routing table for the service 230 a with both block 232 a and block232 g.

TABLE 5 Service 230a Source Block Destination Block Block 232a Block232d Block 232d Block 232b, 232g

With additional reference to FIG. 25, one embodiment of the service 230b is illustrated using blocks from the environment 2300 of FIG. 23.Service 230 b is created by identifying the needed block classes anddefining their order of execution. For example, the block 232 c(connecting to the machine) will be followed by the block 232 d(filtering against an error list). If an error is detected, the block232 b will send an email to user2@companyname and the block 232 e willshut down the machine. The block classes include configurable parametersthat allow them to be customized without needing to open the blockclasses and change their code. FIG. 25 illustrates the configuredappearance of the service 230 b from a functional perspective. Table 6illustrates an example of a routing table for the service 230 b.

TABLE 6 Service 230b Source Block Destination Block Block 232c Block232d Block 232d Block 232b, 232e

Referring to FIG. 26, one embodiment of the NIO platform 1802 is shownwithin an environment 2600. The environment 2600 includes access toTwitter 2602 and a machine 2604. As shown, the NIO platform 1802includes a core 228 and is running the two services 230 a and 230 bsimultaneously. Each service 230 a and 230 b performs its configuredfunctions independently of the other service.

Referring to FIG. 27A, a method 2700 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the NIO platform of FIG. 26 to createand configure a block 232. In step 2702, a block class 204 is identifiedalong with the block's corresponding configuration information anddynamically generated information needed for the block 232. In step2704, the block 232 is instantiated from the block class 204. In step2706, the block 232 is configured using the corresponding configurationinformation and dynamically generated information.

Referring to FIG. 27B, a method 2710 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed by the NIO platform of FIG. 26 to createand configure a service 230. In step 2712, a service class 202 isidentified along with the service's corresponding configurationinformation and dynamically generated information needed for the service230. In step 2714, the service 230 is instantiated from the serviceclass 202. In step 2716, the service 230 is configured using thecorresponding configuration information and dynamically generatedinformation.

Referring to FIGS. 28A-28C, various embodiments of developmentenvironments 2800, 2810, and 2820 are illustrated. Each developmentenvironment 2800, 2810, and 2820 includes the configuration environment1808 of FIG. 18. The configuration environment 1808 enables users toconfigure the NIO platform 1802 on a device 124. Accordingly, theconfiguration environment 1808 provides one or more command line and/orGUI interfaces that may be used to configure the NIO platform 1802 withservices and blocks.

The configuration environment 1808 may interact with the NIO platform1802 using an API such as the API 908 of FIGS. 9A and 9B. As describedpreviously, the API 908 includes a block API, a block configuration API,and a service API. These APIs can be used to create, read, update anddelete blocks and services. Accordingly, the configuration environment1808 may be used to configure the NIO platform 1802 via the API 908while the NIO platform is running.

In other embodiments, the configuration environment 1808 may enable auser to define a configuration of blocks and services for the NIOplatform 1802 without accessing the NIO platform 1802 while theconfiguration is being defined. The configuration can then be loadedinto the NIO platform 1802 at a later time, either through the API 908when the NIO platform 1802 is running or directly into a memory forlater use by the NIO platform 1802 (e.g., when the NIO platform isstarted or restarted). The memory may be a memory of the device 124, ormay be a memory that is remote from the device 124 (e.g., a server orthe cloud) but accessible to the NIO platform 1802 for later use.

Referring specifically to FIG. 28A, one embodiment of the developmentenvironment 2800 is illustrated. The development environment 2800includes the configuration environment 1808 of FIG. 18 that can be usedto configure the NIO platform 1802 on the device 124. In the presentexample, the configuration environment 1808 is provided as an API client2802 that is running within a browser or other application 2804. The APIclient 2802 is able to interact directly with the NIO platform 1802 andcan either configure the NIO platform 1802 while the instance is running(e.g., via the REST interface 908) or before the instance is launched(e.g., by saving the configuration into a memory accessible to the NIOplatform 1802). The direct interaction via the API client 2802 enablesthe NIO platform 1802 to be directly configured any time the NIOplatform can be accessed.

Referring specifically to FIG. 28B, one embodiment of the developmentenvironment 2810 is illustrated. The development environment 2810includes the configuration environment 1808 of FIG. 18 that can be usedto configure the NIO platform 1802 on the device 124. In the presentexample, the configuration environment 1808 is part of the NIO platform1802 and enables a user to configure the NIO platform 1802 any time theNIO platform can be accessed.

Referring specifically to FIG. 28C, one embodiment of the developmentenvironment 2820 is illustrated. The development environment 2820includes the configuration environment 1808 of FIG. 18 that can be usedto configure the NIO platform 1802 on the device 124. In the presentexample, the configuration environment 1808 is provided as aserver/cloud application or service. The configuration environment 1808may be configured to interact directly with the NIO platform 1802 or maybe configured to enable a platform configuration to be created/modifiedand then later transferred to the NIO platform 1802.

Referring to FIG. 29, one embodiment of the configuration environment1808 is illustrated. The configuration environment 1808 includes a GUI2900 that enables a user to create and/or edit services 230 and blocks232 (not shown). The configuration environment 1808 producesconfiguration files that are used by services 230 and blocks 232 aspreviously described. For purposes of example, the configurationenvironment 1808 is accessing the NIO platform 1802 as illustrated inFIG. 28A and the NIO platform 1802 is running. However, similar oridentical steps may be used when creating a configuration for a NIOplatform that is not running or is not currently accessible by theconfiguration environment 1808. In such embodiments, the output of theconfiguration environment 1808 may be saved and later transferred to orotherwise accessed by the NIO platform 1802.

The GUI 2900 includes block buttons 2902 a-2902M that correspond tovarious blocks in a library (e.g., the library 1804 of FIG. 18). Forpurposes of example, the block buttons 2902 a-2902 j correspond toblocks 232 a-232 j of FIG. 23. Additional blocks are represented byblock button 2902M. Some or all of the block buttons 2902 a-2902Mcorrespond to toggles 2904, which will be described later in greaterdetail.

An “Add Block” button 2906 enables a user to add a block to the NIOplatform 1802 without restarting the platform instance. A “Reload Block”button 2908 enables a user to reload a block in the platform instancewithout restarting the platform instance. An “Add Service” button 2910enables a user to add a service to a platform configuration. A “SaveBlock” button 2912 enables a user to save a block configuration. A “SaveBlock As” button 2914 enables a user to save a block configuration undera different name. A “Delete Block” button 2916 enables a user to deletea block from a service.

A “Save Service” button 2912 enables a user to save a serviceconfiguration. A “Save Service As” button 2914 enables a user to save aservice configuration under a different name. A “Delete Service” button2916 enables a user to delete a service from a platform configuration. A“Start Service” button 2924 enables a user to start a service on the NIOplatform 1802. In embodiments where the configuration environment 1808is not interacting directly with a running NIO platform instance, the“Start Service” button 2924 may not be present, may be deactivated sothat a user cannot interact with it, or may be used to set aconfiguration value that is later used to start the service when the NIOplatform 1802 is accessible.

A block configuration pane 2926 provides a display area within whichconfiguration values can be assigned to block parameters, as will bedescribed later in greater detail. A “Service List” button 2928 providesa “home” button that can be used to return to a list of services thatthe platform instance is configured to run.

Referring to FIG. 30, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter the “Add Service” button 2910 has been selected to create a newservice. A service pane 3002 represents the new service that has beencreated. As indicated by the service pane 3002, the new service is named“Service 1” (denoted by reference number 3000) and for purposes ofexample is the service 230 a of FIG. 22. The service pane 3002 includesmultiple buttons that can be used to affect the service 230 a. A “Stop”button 3004 enables a user to stop the service 230 a when the service isrunning. A “Clone” button 3006 enables a user to create a duplicate ofthe service 230 a. A “Modify” button 3008 enables a user to edit theservice 230 a. A “Delete” button 3010 enables a user to remove theservice 230 a from the NIO platform 1802.

An indicator 3012 may be used visually indicate a current status (e.g.,running or stopped) of the service 230 a. For example, in FIG. 30, theindicator 3012 may be red in color to indicate that the service 230 a iscurrently stopped. If the service 230 a is started, the indicator 3012may change color (e.g., to green) to indicate that the service 230 a iscurrently running. The service pane 3002 may also indicate via text orin another manner whether the service 230 a is set to auto start. In thecurrent example, the text (denoted by reference number 3014) indicatesthat the service 230 a is set to auto start.

Referring to FIG. 31, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter the “Modify” button 3008 has been selected to edit the service 230a. A service builder pane 3102 is now visible. In addition, a selectabletab 3104 for “Service 1” may be added to indicate the current servicefor which the service builder pane 3102 is being viewed and/or to enablea user to return to the service builder pane 3102 for the service 230 aif at another location in the configuration environment 1808.

Also illustrated in FIG. 31 is the function of the toggles 2904 thatcorrespond to the block buttons 2902 a-2902M. Each block button 2902a-2902M represents a block that is based on a particular block class.For example, the block button 2902 d corresponds to a Block 4 (asdescribed with respect to the service 230 a in FIGS. 23 and 24).However, there may be different configurations saved for that Block 4.Continuing the example of FIGS. 23 and 24, the filter block 232 d isconfigured to filter for the term “companyname,” which is defined as avalue for a configurable parameter. Other filter configurations forBlock 4 may contain other values for the same configurable parameter.

Accordingly, actuating the toggle 2904 next to the Block 4 reveals thevarious configurations that are available for Block 4. The presentexample includes three configurations for Block 4: Block 4 a, Block 4 b,and Block 4 c. For purposes of illustration, Block 4 b is theconfiguration that corresponds to the desired functionality for block232 d. In other words, Block 4 b is already configured to filter for“companyname.” It is understood that a block button 2902 a-2902Mcorresponding to a block that has no configuration or only a singleconfiguration may not have a corresponding toggle 2904 or, if there is acorresponding toggle 2904, actuating the toggle 2904 may have no affect(e.g., no configurations would be displayed).

Referring to FIG. 32, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter Block 1, Block 4 b, and Block 2 have been selected for the service230 a. Block 1, Block 4 b, and Block 2 correspond to blocks 232 a, 232d, and 232 b of FIG. 24, respectively. As a result of being selected,Block 1, Block 4 b, and Block 2 are now visible in the service builderpane 3102.

In the GUI 2900, each Block 1, Block 4 b, and Block 2 is illustratedwith at least one entry point and at least one exit point. For example,Block 1 includes an entry point 3202 and an exit point 3204. Block 4 bincludes an entry point 3206 and an exit point 3208. Block 2 includes anentry point 3210 and an exit point 3212. Although not shown, a blockwith multiple entry and/or exit points may display the multiple pointsand, in some embodiments, mark them so that a user can distinguishbetween the points if needed.

Referring to FIG. 33, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter Block 1. Block 4 b, and Block 2 have been connected. Morespecifically, the exit point 3204 of Block 1 is connected to the entrypoint 3206 of Block 4 b by a line 3302, with an arrow indicating thedirection of flow. Accordingly, any niograms output by Block 1 are toflow to Block 4 b. Similarly, the exit point 3208 of Block 4 b isconnected to the entry point 3210 of Block 2 by a line 3304, with anarrow indicating the direction of flow. Accordingly, any niograms outputby Block 4 b are to flow to Block 2.

To create these connections, a user may interact with the servicebuilder pane 3102, dragging a line from an exit point to an entry pointor using other processes to create a flow between various blocks. Theconfiguration environment 1808 then creates the needed logic for theservice 230 a. This logic defines the source and destination blocks forthe service 230 a, such as are illustrated in the routing table of Table3.

Referring to FIG. 34, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter Block 1 has been selected. As shown in the block configurationpane 2926, Block 1 (which corresponds to block 232 a of FIG. 24), has aconfiguration parameter 3402 for access credentials needed to accessTwitter. Any needed access credential values are entered, which enablesthe block 232 a to access Twitter. The “Save Block” button 2912 may thenbe selected to save the configuration for Block 1. In the presentexample, this will save a configuration file for Block 1 that includesthe configuration information and the name of the service 230 a to whichthe block belongs.

Referring to FIG. 35, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter Block 4 b has been selected. As shown in the block configurationpane 2926. Block 4 b (which corresponds to block 232 d of FIG. 24), hasa configuration parameter 3502 that is set with the configuration valueof “companyname.” Other filter conditions may be set if desired asillustrated by configuration parameter fields 3504 and 3506, but thesefields are empty as default values in the present example. The “SaveBlock” button 2912 may then be selected to save the configuration forBlock 4 b. In the present example, this will save a configuration filefor Block 4 b that includes the configuration information and the nameof the service 230 a to which the block belongs.

Referring to FIG. 36, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter Block 2 has been selected. As shown in the block configurationpane 2926. Block 2 (which corresponds to block 232 b of FIG. 24), has aconfiguration parameter 3602 for a recipient email address. The value“usemame1@company.com” has been entered into this field. Otherconfigurable parameters available as indicated by a field 3604 for asubject of the email and a field 3606 for a body of the email. Theseadditional fields are empty as default values in the present example.The “Save Block” button 2912 may then be selected to save theconfiguration for Block 2. In the present example, this will save aconfiguration file for Block 2 that includes the configurationinformation and the name of the service 230 a to which the blockbelongs.

After the configuration of the Blocks 1, 4 b, and 2 or at any timeduring the configuration, the service 230 a may be saved by selectingthe “Save Service” button 2918. This will save the configuration of theservice 230 a, including the blocks used by the service and their orderof execution. In the present example, a configuration file containingthis information will be saved for the service 230 a. The service 230 amay also be started at this time by selecting the “Start Service” button2924.

Referring to FIG. 37, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustrated withthe service pane 3002 and a new service pane 3702 for a Service 2. Forpurposes of example, Service 2 corresponds to the service 230 b of FIG.25. It is noted that the service 230 a is now running and the indicator3012 has changed color to green. The service pane 3702 includes anindicator 3704 that is currently red because the service 230 b is notrunning. A tab 3706 has been added for Service 2.

Referring to FIG. 38, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter the service 230 b has been configured. More specifically, afterbeing created, the service 230 b can be configured using a similarprocess to that described previously for the service 230 a. Accordingly,following this configuration process, the service builder pane 3102illustrates that Block 3 (corresponding to block 232 c). Block 4 b(corresponding to block 232 d). Block 5 (corresponding to block 232 e),and Block 2 (corresponding to block 232 b) have been selected andconnected.

Block 3 is connected to Block 4 b by a line 3802, with an arrowindicating the direction of flow. Block 4 b is connected to Block 5 by aline 3804, with an arrow indicating the direction of flow. Block 4 b isalso connected to Block 2 by a line 3806, with an arrow indicating thedirection of flow.

Referring to FIG. 39, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter Block 2 has been selected for service 230 b. As described withrespect to FIGS. 24 and 25, block 232 b is to send an email to theaddress for which it is configured. In the service 230 a, thedestination address is usemame1@companyname.com. However, in the service230 b, the destination address is username2@companyname.com.Accordingly, for the service 230 b, the value “username2@company.com”has been entered into the field for the configuration parameter 3602. Inaddition, the text “Machine Error” has been entered into the subjectfield 3604, so that any email sent by the service 230 b to the addressusername2@companyname.com will contain the words “Machine Error” in theemail's subject line.

Referring to FIG. 40, one embodiment of the GUI 2900 is illustratedafter the service 230 b has been configured and saved. The service 230 bcan now be started, which will change the indicator 3704 to green asshown. This will result in both services 232 a and 232 b running asshown in FIG. 26.

If the GUI 2900 is closed and reopened for the NIO platform 1802, anyservices loaded onto the NIO platform may be displayed. For example, inFIG. 29, no services are initially displayed when the GUI 2900 is openedbecause the NIO platform 1802 has not yet been configured to run anyservices. However, after the services 232 a and 232 b have beenconfigured as described, opening the GUI 2900 will display the services232 a and 232 b as illustrated in FIG. 40, along with the current statusof each service as running or stopped. In embodiments where theconfiguration environment 1808 is not connected directly to a runningNIO platform, an existing configuration may need to be selected andopened before any services will be shown.

Referring to FIG. 41, a method 4100 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed within a development environment, such asone of the development environments 2800 of FIG. 28A. 2810 of FIG. 28B,and 2820 of FIG. 28C. The method 4100 may be used to create andconfigure a new service on the NIO platform 1802 using a GUI, such asthe GUI 2900 of FIG. 29, that is part of the configuration environment1808 of FIG. 18.

In step 4102, input is received via the GUI 2900 to create a newservice. In step 4104, the configuration environment 1808 creates thenew service and displays the new service in the service builder. In step4106, input is received via the GUI 2900 selecting blocks to be used inthe service. In step 4108, the configuration environment 1808 displaysthe blocks in the service builder. In step 4110, input is receiveddefining connections between the blocks to define one or more data flowpaths through the service. In step 4112, the configuration environment1808 displays the connections in the service builder.

In step 4114, input may be received for configuration values to beassigned to the configuration parameters for one or more of the blocks.In step 4116, input is received to save the service and blockconfigurations. In step 4118, the configuration environment 1808 savesthe service and block configurations. In step 4120, the configurationenvironment 1808 saves the service and/or block classes if needed. Forexample, the configuration environment 1808 may load the service and/orblock classes into the NIO platform 1802 using the REST API 908, or maysave the service and/or block classes to a defined memory location forlater use by the NIO platform 1802.

In step 4122, input may be received to start the service. For example,if the NIO platform 1802 is running and the configuration environment1808 is communicating via the REST API 908, the GUI 2900 may be used tostart the service. Accordingly, in step 4124, the configurationenvironment 1808 may start the service on the NIO platform 1802.

It is understood that, although not shown, steps may be repeated duringthe execution of the method 4100 and/or steps may be performed in anorder different from that shown. For example, a single block may beadded, configured, and saved (steps 4106, 4108, 4114, 4116, and 4118),and then another block may be added, configured, and saved (repeatingsteps 4106, 4108, 4114, 4116, and 4118). The blocks may then beconnected (steps 4110 and 4112). Accordingly, it is understood that manyvariations of the illustrated steps of the method 4100 may be used.

Referring to FIG. 42, a method 4200 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed within a development environment, such asone of the development environments 2800 of FIG. 28A. 2810 of FIG. 28B,and 2820 of FIG. 28C. The method 4200 may be used to modify an existingservice on the NIO platform 1802 using a GUI, such as the GUI 2900 ofFIG. 29, that is part of the configuration environment 1808 of FIG. 18.

In step 4202, input is received via the GUI 2900 to open an existingservice. The existing service may be opened via the REST API 908 of theNIO platform 1802, or may be opened from a saved configuration that isaccessed at a defined memory location (e.g., a hard drive on which theexisting service configuration is stored). In step 4204, theconfiguration environment 1808 opens the service and displays theservice in the service builder. In step 4206, input is received via theGUI 2900 selecting one or more existing blocks to be modified, deleted,or moved. The input may also be for adding one or more new blocks. Instep 4208, a determination is made as to the input received in step4206.

If the determination of step 4208 indicates that a new block was addedor an existing block was deleted or moved, the method 4200 moves to step4210. In step 4210, the configuration environment 1808 displays thecurrent arrangement of blocks in the service builder. In step 4212,input is received defining connections between the blocks to define oneor more data flow paths through the service. In step 4214, theconfiguration environment 1808 displays the updated connections in theservice builder. The method 4200 then moves to step 4216, where theblocks can be configured if desired.

If the determination of step 4208 indicates that an existing block wasmodified, the method 4200 moves to step 4216. In step 4216, input isreceived for configuration values to be assigned to the configurationparameters for one or more of the blocks. In step 4218, input isreceived to save the service and/or block configurations. In step 4220,the configuration environment 1808 saves the service and/or blockconfigurations. In step 4222, the configuration environment 1808 savethe service and/or block classes if needed. For example, theconfiguration environment 1808 may load the service and/or block classesinto the NIO platform 1802 using the REST API 908, or may save theservice and/or block classes to a defined memory location for later useby the NIO platform 1802.

In step 4224, a determination is made as to whether additional changesare to be made to the service. For example, input may be receivedindicating another block is to be modified, added, deleted, or moved. Ifthe determination of step 4224 indicates that an additional change is tobe made, the method 4200 returns to step 4206 to handle the change. Ifthe determination of step 4224 indicates that no additional changes areto be made, the method 4200 moves to step 4226.

In step 4226, input may be received to stop and/or start the service.For example, if the NIO platform 1802 is running and the configurationenvironment 1808 is communicating via the REST API 908, the GUI 2900 maybe used to stop the service (if the service is running) or start theservice (if the service is stopped). As described previously, changes tothe service may not take effect until the service is stopped andrestarted. Accordingly, if the method 4200 was executed while theservice was still running on the NIO platform 1802, the service needs tobe stopped and restarted. If the service is already stopped, the servicecan be started. Although not shown, it is understood that the servicecan be stopped at any time before or during the method 4200.Accordingly, in step 4228, the configuration environment 1808 may stopand/or start the service on the NIO platform 1802.

As with the method 4100 of FIG. 41, it is understood that, although notshown, steps may be repeated during the execution of the method 4200and/or steps may be performed in an order different from that shown.Accordingly, it is understood that many variations of the illustratedsteps of the method 4200 may be used.

Referring to FIG. 43, a method 4300 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed within a development environment, such asone of the development environments 2800 of FIG. 28A, 2810 of FIG. 28B,and 2820 of FIG. 28C. The method 4300 may be used to save service and/orblock configurations to the NIO platform 1802 using a GUI, such as theGUI 2900 of FIG. 29, that is part of the configuration environment 1808of FIG. 18.

In step 4302, input is received to save the service and/or blockconfigurations. In the present example, the NIO platform 1802 is runningand the configuration environment 1808 is communicating with the NIOplatform 1802 via the REST API 908. Accordingly, in step 4304, theconfiguration environment 1808 saves the service and/or blockconfigurations to the NIO platform 1802 via the REST API 908. In step4306, the configuration environment 1808 saves the service and/or blockclasses if needed. In the present example, the configuration environment1808 would load the service and/or block classes into the NIO platform1802 using the REST API 908.

Referring to FIG. 44, a method 4400 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed within a development environment, such asone of the development environments 2800 of FIG. 28A, 2810 of FIG. 28B,and 2820 of FIG. 28C. The method 4400 may be used to save service and/orblock configurations to the NIO platform 1802 using a GUI, such as theGUI 2900 of FIG. 29, that is part of the configuration environment 1808of FIG. 18.

In step 4402, input is received to save the service and/or blockconfigurations. In the present example, the configuration environment1808 is not communicating with the NIO platform 1802. Accordingly, instep 4404, the configuration environment 1808 saves the service and/orblock configurations to a defined memory location. In step 4406, theconfiguration environment 1808 saves the service and/or block classes ifneeded. In the present example, the configuration environment 1808 wouldsave the service and/or block classes to a defined memory location forlater use by the NIO platform 1802.

Referring to FIG. 45, a method 4500 illustrates one embodiment of aprocess that may be executed within a development environment, such asone of the development environments 2800 of FIG. 28A, 2810 of FIG. 28B,and 2820 of FIG. 28C. The method 4500 may be used to configure the NIOplatform 1802 using a GUI, such as the GUI 2900 of FIG. 29, that is partof the configuration environment 1808 of FIG. 18.

In step 4502, the configuration environment 1808 is provided with theGUI 2900 and library 1804 of FIG. 18. In step 4504, input is receivedvia the GUI 2900 for configuration information for the NIO platform1802. In step 4506, the configuration environment 1808 converts theconfiguration information into service and/or block configurationsusable by the NIO platform 1802. In step 4508, the configurationenvironment 1808 saves the service and/or block configurations. Forexample, the configuration environment 1808 may load the service and/orblock classes into the NIO platform 1802 using the REST API 908, or maysave the service and/or block classes to a defined memory location forlater use by the NIO platform 1802.

While the preceding description shows and describes one or moreembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes in form and detail may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example,various steps illustrated within a particular flow chart may be combinedor further divided. In addition, steps described in one diagram or flowchart may be incorporated into another diagram or flow chart.Furthermore, the described functionality may be provided by hardwareand/or software, and may be distributed or combined into a singleplatform. Additionally, functionality described in a particular examplemay be achieved in a manner different than that illustrated, but isstill encompassed within the present disclosure. Therefore, the claimsshould be interpreted in a broad manner, consistent with the presentdisclosure.

For example, in one embodiment, a method for creating a configurationfor a platform instance that is to be used on a digital device includescreating, within a development environment having a graphical userinterface (GUI), a service to be run by the platform instance;providing, via the GUI, a graphical representation of a block librarycontaining a plurality of available blocks that are available for use bythe service, wherein each available block contains first executable codethat provides task specific functionality and second executable codethat enables the block to function within the platform instance;receiving, via the GUI, input identifying at least some of the availableblocks as selected blocks, wherein the selected blocks are to be run bythe service; receiving, via the GUI, input arranging the selected blocksinto an order of execution that defines which of the selected blocks areto receive output produced by others of the selected blocks when run bythe service; generating, by the development environment, at least oneconfiguration file for use by the platform instance, wherein theconfiguration file includes information that represents the order ofexecution so that output produced by the selected blocks can becorrectly directed to others of the selected blocks when the platforminstance runs the service; and storing the configuration file for use bythe platform instance.

In some embodiments, the platform instance is configured to run theselected blocks in a decoupled manner within the service with eachselected block having no awareness of the other selected blocks, and theconfiguration file is generated as a service configuration file forconfiguring the service to direct the output of the selected blocksaccording to the order of execution.

In some embodiments, generating the service configuration file furtherincludes identifying a service class in the service configuration file,wherein the service class is to be used by the platform instance toinstantiate the service.

In some embodiments, the method further includes generating, by thedevelopment environment, a block configuration file for the plurality ofselected blocks.

In some embodiments, the method further includes generating, by thedevelopment environment, a unique block configuration file for each ofthe selected blocks.

In some embodiments, generating the unique block configuration file foreach of the selected blocks further includes identifying one of aplurality of available block classes in each of the unique blockconfiguration files, wherein the identified block class is to be used bythe platform instance to instantiate the selected block corresponding tothe unique block configuration file.

In some embodiments, the configuration file is generated as a serviceconfiguration file for configuring the service to configure eachselected block that produces output for another selected block to directthe output to the other selected block.

In some embodiments, the configuration file is generated as a blockconfiguration file for configuring each selected block that producesoutput for another selected block to direct the output to the otherselected block.

In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving, via the GUI,input selecting a first block of the selected blocks, wherein the firstblock includes a plurality of configurable parameters; receiving, viathe GUI, at least one configuration value to assign to at least one ofthe configurable parameters, wherein the configuration value will beused when the first block is run within the platform instance;generating, by the development environment, a block configuration filefor the first block, wherein the block configuration file contains theconfiguration value; and storing the block configuration file for use bythe platform instance.

In some embodiments, generating the block configuration file furtherincludes identifying a name of the service within the blockconfiguration file.

In some embodiments, the configuration value defines a destinationoutside of the service for output produced by the first block.

In some embodiments, generating the at least one configuration fileincludes generating a platform instance configuration file thatidentifies the service and any other services that are to be run by theplatform instance, a service configuration file for the service and foreach of the other services, and a block configuration file for theselected blocks and for any other blocks used by the other services.

In some embodiments, storing the configuration file for use by theplatform instance includes storing the configuration file in a memory ofa device containing the platform instance.

In some embodiments, storing the configuration file for use by theplatform instance includes storing the configuration file in a memoryfor download by a device containing the platform instance.

In some embodiments, the method further includes loading the selectedblocks into a memory accessible to the platform instance, wherein theavailable blocks that were not selected are not loaded into the memory.

In some embodiments, the method further includes providing, by the GUI,a user selectable actuator for deleting the service from the platforminstance.

In some embodiments, the method further includes providing, by the GUI,a user selectable actuator for starting and stopping the service on theplatform instance.

In another embodiment, a system for creating a configuration for aplatform instance that is to be used on a digital device includes aprocessor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory includinginstructions executable by the processor for creating, within adevelopment environment having a graphical user interface (GUI), aservice to be run by the platform instance; providing, via the GUI, agraphical representation of a block library containing a plurality ofavailable blocks that are available for use by the service, wherein eachavailable block contains first executable code that provides taskspecific functionality and second executable code that enables the blockto function within the platform instance; receiving, via the GUI, inputidentifying at least some of the available blocks as selected blocks,wherein the selected blocks are to be run by the service; receiving, viathe GUI, input arranging the selected blocks into an order of executionthat defines which of the selected blocks are to receive output producedby others of the selected blocks when run by the service; generating, bythe development environment, at least one configuration file for use bythe platform instance, wherein the configuration file includesinformation that represents the order of execution so that outputproduced by the selected blocks can be correctly directed to others ofthe selected blocks when the platform instance runs the service; andstoring the configuration file for use by the platform instance.

In some embodiments, the platform instance is configured to run theselected blocks in a decoupled manner within the service with eachselected block having no awareness of the other selected blocks, and theconfiguration file is generated as a service configuration file forconfiguring the service to direct the output of the selected blocksaccording to the order of execution.

In some embodiments, the instructions for generating the serviceconfiguration file further include identifying a service class in theservice configuration file, wherein the service class is to be used bythe platform instance to instantiate the service.

In some embodiments, the instructions further include generating, by thedevelopment environment, a block configuration file for the plurality ofselected blocks.

In some embodiments, the instructions further include generating, by thedevelopment environment, a unique block configuration file for each ofthe selected blocks.

In some embodiments, the instructions for generating the unique blockconfiguration file for each of the selected blocks further includeidentifying one of a plurality of available block classes in each of theunique block configuration files, wherein the identified block class isto be used by the platform instance to instantiate the selected blockcorresponding to the unique block configuration file.

In some embodiments, the configuration file is generated as a serviceconfiguration file for configuring the service to configure eachselected block that produces output for another selected block to directthe output to the other selected block.

In some embodiments, the configuration file is generated as a blockconfiguration file for configuring each selected block that producesoutput for another selected block to direct the output to the otherselected block.

In some embodiments, the instructions further include receiving, via theGUI, input selecting a first block of the selected blocks, wherein thefirst block includes a plurality of configurable parameters; receiving,via the GUI, at least one configuration value to assign to at least oneof the configurable parameters, wherein the configuration value will beused when the first block is run within the platform instance;generating, by the development environment, a block configuration filefor the first block, wherein the block configuration file contains theconfiguration value; and storing the block configuration file for use bythe platform instance.

In some embodiments, the instructions for generating the blockconfiguration file further include identifying a name of the servicewithin the block configuration file.

In some embodiments, the configuration value defines a destinationoutside of the service for output produced by the first block.

In some embodiments, the instructions for generating the at least oneconfiguration file include generating a platform instance configurationfile that identifies the service and any other services that are to berun by the platform instance, a service configuration file for theservice and for each of the other services, and a block configurationfile for the selected blocks and for any other blocks used by the otherservices.

In some embodiments, storing the configuration file for use by theplatform instance includes storing the configuration file in a memory ofa device containing the platform instance.

In some embodiments, storing the configuration file for use by theplatform instance includes storing the configuration file in a memoryfor download by a device containing the platform instance.

In some embodiments, the instructions further include loading theselected blocks into a memory accessible to the platform instance,wherein the available blocks that were not selected are not loaded intothe memory.

In some embodiments, the instructions further include providing, by theGUI, a user selectable actuator for deleting the service from theplatform instance.

In some embodiments, the instructions further include providing, by theGUI, a user selectable actuator for starting and stopping the service onthe platform instance.

In another embodiment, a method for creating a configuration for aplatform instance that is to be used on a digital device includescreating, within a development environment having a graphical userinterface (GUI), a first service and a second service to be runsimultaneously by the platform instance, wherein the platform instanceis configured to run on the digital device; providing, via the GUI, agraphical representation of a block library containing a plurality ofavailable blocks that are available for use by the first service and thesecond service, wherein each available block contains executable codethat provides task specific functionality; receiving, via the GUI, inputarranging a first set of the available blocks into a first order ofexecution for the first service, wherein the first order of executiondefines which of the available blocks in the first set are to receiveoutput produced by others of the available blocks in the first set whenrun by the first service; receiving, via the GUI, input arranging asecond set of the available blocks into a second order of execution forthe second service, wherein the second order of execution defines whichof the available blocks in the second set are to receive output producedby others of the available blocks in the second set when run by thesecond service; and generating, by the development environment, at leasta first configuration file for use with the first service and a secondconfiguration file for use by the second service, wherein the firstconfiguration file and the second configuration files includesource/destination information that represents the order of executionfor the first and second services, respectively, when the platforminstance runs the first service and the second service.

In some embodiments, the first configuration file contains communicationinformation defining that at least a first block of the available blocksin the first set is configured to send information to a second block ofthe available blocks in the second set.

In some embodiments, the communication information defines a publicationchannel of the platform instance to be used by the first block and thesecond block.

In some embodiments, the first configuration file contains a firstconfiguration value indicating that the first service is to beautostarted when the platform instance is launched.

In some embodiments, the first and second configuration files are asingle configuration file.

In another embodiment, a system for creating a configuration for aplatform instance that is to be used on a digital device includes aprocessor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory includinginstructions executable by the processor for creating, within adevelopment environment having a graphical user interface (GUI), a firstservice and a second service to be run simultaneously by the platforminstance, wherein the platform instance is configured to run on thedigital device; providing, via the GUI, a graphical representation of ablock library containing a plurality of available blocks that areavailable for use by the first service and the second service, whereineach available block contains executable code that provides taskspecific functionality; receiving, via the GUI, input arranging a firstset of the available blocks into a first order of execution for thefirst service, wherein the first order of execution defines which of theavailable blocks in the first set are to receive output produced byothers of the available blocks in the first set when run by the firstservice; receiving, via the GUI, input arranging a second set of theavailable blocks into a second order of execution for the secondservice, wherein the second order of execution defines which of theavailable blocks in the second set are to receive output produced byothers of the available blocks in the second set when run by the secondservice; and generating, by the development environment, at least afirst configuration file for use with the first service and a secondconfiguration file for use by the second service, wherein the firstconfiguration file and the second configuration files includesource/destination information that represents the order of executionfor the first and second services, respectively, when the platforminstance runs the first service and the second service.

In some embodiments, the first configuration file contains communicationinformation defining that at least a first block of the available blocksin the first set is configured to send information to a second block ofthe available blocks in the second set.

In some embodiments, the communication information defines a publicationchannel of the platform instance to be used by the first block and thesecond block.

In some embodiments, the first configuration file contains a firstconfiguration value indicating that the first service is to beautostarted when the platform instance is launched.

In some embodiments, the first and second configuration files are asingle configuration file.

In another embodiment, a development environment includes a processorand a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructionsexecutable by the processor for providing a graphical user interface(GUI): providing a block library containing a plurality of availableblocks that are available for use by a service that is to be run by aplatform instance, wherein each available block contains firstexecutable code that provides task specific functionality and secondexecutable code that enables the block to function within the platforminstance; receiving first user input via the GUI selecting at least afirst block and a second block from the available blocks; receivingsecond user input linking the first block to the second block to definean order of execution between the first and second blocks; andgenerating at least one configuration file for the platform instance,wherein the configuration file includes the order of execution.

In some embodiments, the development environment further includes ablock editor that enables a user to edit the first executable code ofone of the available blocks.

In some embodiments, the development environment further includes aconfiguration file editor that enables a user to edit configurableparameters used by a core of the platform instance.

In some embodiments, the development environment further includesinstructions for receiving third user input creating a service that isto run the first block and the second block.

In some embodiments, the development environment is located on a devicehaving access to the platform instance via an application programminginterface (API).

In some embodiments, the development environment is part of the platforminstance.

In some embodiments, the development environment is located on a serverthat is separate from a device on which the platform instance islocated.

In some embodiments, the development environment interacts with theplatform instance via a Representational State Transfer (REST)application programming interface (API) of the platform instance.

In some embodiments, the development environment is an applicationprogramming interface (API) client.

In some embodiments, the API client is based on a hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP) and javascript code.

In some embodiments, the API client is accessible using a browser.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for creating a configuration for aplatform instance that is to be used on a digital device, the methodcomprising: creating, within a development environment having agraphical user interface (GUI), a service to be run by the platforminstance; providing, via the GUI, a graphical representation of a blocklibrary containing a plurality of available blocks that are availablefor use by the service, wherein each available block contains firstexecutable code that provides task specific functionality and secondexecutable code that enables the block to function within the platforminstance; receiving, via the GUI, input identifying at least some of theavailable blocks as selected blocks, wherein the selected blocks are tobe run by the service; receiving, via the GUI, input arranging theselected blocks into an order of execution that defines which of theselected blocks are to receive output produced by others of the selectedblocks when run by the service; generating, by the developmentenvironment, at least one configuration file for use by the platforminstance, wherein the configuration file includes information thatrepresents the order of execution so that output produced by theselected blocks can be correctly directed to others of the selectedblocks when the platform instance runs the service; and storing theconfiguration file for use by the platform instance.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the platform instance is configured to run the selectedblocks in a decoupled manner within the service with each selected blockhaving no awareness of the other selected blocks, and wherein theconfiguration file is generated as a service configuration file forconfiguring the service to direct the output of the selected blocksaccording to the order of execution.
 3. The method of claim 2 whereingenerating the service configuration file further includes identifying aservice class in the service configuration file, wherein the serviceclass is to be used by the platform instance to instantiate the service.4. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating, by thedevelopment environment, a block configuration file for the plurality ofselected blocks.
 5. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating,by the development environment, a unique block configuration file foreach of the selected blocks.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein generatingthe unique block configuration file for each of the selected blocksfurther includes identifying one of a plurality of available blockclasses in each of the unique block configuration files, wherein theidentified block class is to be used by the platform instance toinstantiate the selected block corresponding to the unique blockconfiguration file.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the configurationfile is generated as a service configuration file for configuring theservice to configure each selected block that produces output foranother selected block to direct the output to the other selected block.8. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration file is generated asa block configuration file for configuring each selected block thatproduces output for another selected block to direct the output to theother selected block.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:receiving, via the GUI, input selecting a first block of the selectedblocks, wherein the first block includes a plurality of configurableparameters; receiving, via the GUI, at least one configuration value toassign to at least one of the configurable parameters, wherein theconfiguration value will be used when the first block is run within theplatform instance; generating, by the development environment, a blockconfiguration file for the first block, wherein the block configurationfile contains the configuration value; and storing the blockconfiguration file for use by the platform instance.
 10. The method ofclaim 9 wherein generating the block configuration file further includesidentifying a name of the service within the block configuration file.11. The method of claim 9 wherein the configuration value defines adestination outside of the service for output produced by the firstblock.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the at least oneconfiguration file includes generating a platform instance configurationfile that identifies the service and any other services that are to berun by the platform instance, a service configuration file for theservice and for each of the other services, and a block configurationfile for the selected blocks and for any other blocks used by the otherservices.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the configurationfile for use by the platform instance includes storing the configurationfile in a memory of a device containing the platform instance.
 14. Themethod of claim 1 wherein storing the configuration file for use by theplatform instance includes storing the configuration file in a memoryfor download by a device containing the platform instance.
 15. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising loading the selected blocks into amemory accessible to the platform instance, wherein the available blocksthat were not selected are not loaded into the memory.
 16. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising providing, by the GUI, a user selectableactuator for deleting the service from the platform instance.
 17. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising providing, by the GUI, a userselectable actuator for starting and stopping the service on theplatform instance.
 18. A development environment comprising: aprocessor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory includinginstructions executable by the processor for providing a graphical userinterface (GUI); providing a block library containing a plurality ofavailable blocks that are available for use by a service that is to berun by a platform instance, wherein each available block contains firstexecutable code that provides task specific functionality and secondexecutable code that enables the block to function within the platforminstance; receiving first user input via the GUI selecting at least afirst block and a second block from the available blocks; receivingsecond user input linking the first block to the second block to definean order of execution between the first and second blocks; andgenerating at least one configuration file for the platform instance,wherein the configuration file includes the order of execution.
 19. Thedevelopment environment of claim 18 further comprising a block editorthat enables a user to edit the first executable code of one of theavailable blocks.
 20. The development environment of claim 18 furthercomprising a configuration file editor that enables a user to editconfigurable parameters used by a core of the platform instance.
 21. Thedevelopment environment of claim 18 further comprising instructions forreceiving third user input creating a service that is to run the firstblock and the second block.
 22. The development environment of claim 18wherein the development environment is located on a device having accessto the platform instance via an application programming interface (API).23. The development environment of claim 18 wherein the developmentenvironment is part of the platform instance.
 24. The developmentenvironment of claim 18 wherein the development environment is locatedon a server that is separate from a device on which the platforminstance is located.
 25. The development environment of claim 18 whereinthe development environment interacts with the platform instance via aRepresentational State Transfer (REST) application programming interface(API) of the platform instance.
 26. The development environment of claim18 wherein the development environment is an application programminginterface (API) client.